Cost of living comparison
compared to
United States vs. Puerto Rico Cost of Living Summary
United States is 52.2% more expensive than Puerto Rico overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 37.7% more in United States
- Groceries
- pay 7.0% more in United States
- Transportation
- pay 41.2% more in United States
- Housing
- pay 56.1% more in United States
- Childcare
- pay 2.7 times more in United States
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 46.1% more in United States
- Clothing
- pay 5.2% more in United States
United States vs. Puerto Rico Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United States instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
pay 37.7% more for restaurants
Puerto Rico | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $15.10 | $19.45 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $10.01 | $11.12 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.58 | $2.56 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.35 | $2.00 | |
Puerto Rico vs. United States - Cost of restaurants
pay 7.0% more for groceries
Puerto Rico | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.18 | $3.56 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $4.16 | $6.50 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $8.11 | $3.97 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $5.34 | $4.27 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $3.76 | $5.41 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.50 | $2.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.06 | $0.78 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.54 | $2.04 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.84 | $2.21 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.65 | $1.34 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.04 | $1.38 | |
Puerto Rico vs. United States - Cost of groceries
pay 41.2% more for transportation
Puerto Rico | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.65 | $3.41 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $35.20 | $65.85 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $34,700.00 | $32,336.38 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $9.22 | $17.61 | |
Puerto Rico vs. United States - Cost of transportation
pay 56.1% more for housing
Puerto Rico | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $62.46 | $68.97 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $800.93 | $1,664.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $580.00 | $1,416.15 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $242.07 | $150.19 | |
Puerto Rico vs. United States - Cost of housing
pay 2.7 times more for childcare
Puerto Rico | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $453.00 | $1,387.27 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $9,760.00 | $23,196.46 | |
Puerto Rico vs. United States - Cost of childcare
pay 46.1% more for entertainment and sports
Puerto Rico | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.73 | $5.84 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $3.38 | $5.15 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $11.21 | $9.90 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $37.37 | $51.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $9.90 | $13.64 | |
Puerto Rico vs. United States - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.2% more for clothing
Puerto Rico | United States | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $42.97 | $51.08 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $54.22 | $41.81 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $81.06 | $87.56 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $96.00 | $112.04 | |
Puerto Rico vs. United States - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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