Moving to Puerto Rico from Jamaica
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Jamaica to Puerto Rico — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Jamaica to Puerto Rico, you would find that Puerto Rico is 23.1% more expensive than Jamaica overall. A JMD12,000,000 salary in Jamaica would need to be roughly $93,100 in Puerto Rico to maintain the same lifestyle. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Jamaica to Puerto Rico.
What does your salary buy?
JMD12,000,000 → $93,100
To maintain the same standard of living in Puerto Rico
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 30.7% more
Groceries
pay 2.0% more
Transportation
pay 16.7% less
Housing
pay 64.6% more
Childcare
pay 68.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 25.0% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Jamaica to Puerto Rico, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Puerto Rico?
Top countries of origin for Puerto Rico's foreign-born residents.
- 159,515
- 46,905
- 12,637
- 4,039
- 2,604
- 2,094
- · · ·
-
37.18
Jamaica
Key Indicator Comparison
How Jamaica and Puerto Rico stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Puerto Rico performs significantly better than Jamaica across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Jamaica performs better than Puerto Rico across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about the environment?
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Jamaica performs better than Puerto Rico across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
share of households with internet
Jamaica generally does better on infrastructure, though Puerto Rico leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Jamaica generally does better on employment & economy, though Puerto Rico leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Puerto Rico generally does better on family life, though Jamaica leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2015–2022), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), Tax Admministration of Jamaica (2016), Puerto Rican Department of Treasury (2016). How we calculate this
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Jamaica and Puerto Rico. To live, work, or study long-term in Puerto Rico, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Puerto Rico's immigration authority.
Jamaica passport holder visiting Puerto Rico
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Puerto Rico than Jamaica?
Day-to-day costs in Puerto Rico run about 23% higher than Jamaica on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Puerto Rico?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a JMD12,000,000 comparable salary, that's around $23,275 in Puerto Rico for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Puerto Rico?
With 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Puerto Rico can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
Is Puerto Rico safe for expats?
Puerto Rico performs significantly better than Jamaica across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Puerto Rico is 14.6 per 100,000 people, compared to 49.4 in Jamaica.
How is healthcare in Puerto Rico compared to Jamaica?
Jamaica performs better than Puerto Rico across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What language do they speak in Puerto Rico?
The official languages in Puerto Rico are English and Spanish. In Jamaica, the official languages are English and Jamaican Patois.
