Cost of living comparison

compared to

Virginia vs. Puerto Rico Cost of Living Summary

Virginia is 66.5% more expensive than Puerto Rico overall.

Restaurants
pay 43.8% more in Virginia
Groceries
pay 23.0% more in Virginia
Transportation
pay 45.0% more in Virginia
Housing
pay 58.5% more in Virginia
Childcare
pay 3.4 times more in Virginia
Entertainment and Sports
pay 51.0% more in Virginia
Clothing
pay 8.3% more in Virginia

The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, transportation, restaurants, and groceries in Virginia are more expensive than in Puerto Rico. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Virginia.

Virginia vs. Puerto Rico Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Virginia instead of Puerto Rico, you would:

pay 43.8% more for restaurants

 
Puerto Rico
Virginia
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $15.10
 
$19.95
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$10.01
 
$11.32
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.58
 
$2.59
 

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pay 23.0% more for groceries

 
Puerto Rico
Virginia
Bread
1 loaf
$3.18
 
$3.66
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.16
 
$7.57
 
Milk (1 gallon) $8.11
 
$3.86
 

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pay 45.0% more for transportation

 
Puerto Rico
Virginia
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.65
 
$3.14
 
Monthly public transit pass $35.20
 
$81.69
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $34,700.00
 
$33,360.29
 

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pay 58.5% more for housing

 
Puerto Rico
Virginia
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$62.46
 
$66.63
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $800.93
 
$1,767.25
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $580.00
 
$1,444.78
 

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pay 3.4 times more for childcare

 
Puerto Rico
Virginia
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $453.00
 
$1,687.43
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $9,760.00
 
$29,254.08
 

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pay 51.0% more for entertainment and sports

 
Puerto Rico
Virginia
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.73
 
$5.97
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.38
 
$5.35
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$11.21
 
$8.83
 

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pay 8.3% more for clothing

 
Puerto Rico
Virginia
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$42.97
 
$52.65
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$54.22
 
$42.78
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$81.06
 
$91.01
 

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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: December 2025
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See the cost of living in Puerto Rico vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Puerto Rico and United States.

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