Cost of living in Puerto Rico – 2015

numbeo is ok but I believe it is crowd-sourced, so everything depends on the quality and quantity of the submissions in both locations being compared.

NomadLawyer wrote:

numbeo is ok but I believe it is crowd-sourced, so everything depends on the quality and quantity of the submissions in both locations being compared.

Correct, that is why I submitted the link to the group, so we all have the opportunity to provide quality numbers that others in the future can use.

Excellent point, ReyP. Hope I didn't come off as snarky. Not my intention.

I live about 35 min west of San Juan and our cost of living for two adults is as follows,

Food/household items (detergent, tp, etc) $400
Gas/tolls (w/commute to metro 5 days a wk) $300
Rent $750 (3bd/2bth condo community w/pool)
Water $25-35
Electricity $160
Insurance n/a (looking)
Liberty basic cable/phone/internet pkg $70
AT&T cell (no contract/phone unlocked) $45

Karenqc wrote:

I live about 35 min west of San Juan and our cost of living for two adults is as follows,

Food/household items (detergent, tp, etc) $400
Gas/tolls (w/commute to metro 5 days a wk) $300
Rent $750 (3bd/2bth condo community w/pool)
Water $25-35
Electricity $160
Insurance n/a (looking)
Liberty basic cable/phone/internet pkg $70
AT&T cell (no contract/phone unlocked) $45

Nice numbers, all within my budget. Only exception is your Gas/Toll number due to your long commute. I do not plan to go very far on a daily basis since I would be retired so mine is 100 to 120 for Gas.

Thanks for sharing

Greg, I would take a closer look at the wages in Ny if I were you not as high as you think

That's about the numbers we calculate it will cost us. I calculated less for gas and took out rent since we own the house mortgage free.

We have a solar company give us a quote for solar power. Based on the appliances and size of the house (since we do not have an electric bill to compare usage), we got quoted $76 + $3(electric company line fee) a month to run our house using electric power. I am not sure if this will be a good route to go at this time since we are not living 100% of the time in PR.

Do we have any members using solar power in the forum that want to share some information, experience?

Frogrock said she had some friends that were installing Solar, but last I spoke with her they have not done it yet. Check with her.

There seem to be two basic plans:
a) Flat out purchase the panels and installation
b) Free everything and you buy the electricity from the installing company.

The B option has some potential side effects: Next owner of the house has to agree to also buy electricity from them. Is another monopoly and another bill to remember to pay.

I plan to look into it a year or so after I move, will probably buy the whole thing instead of paying a monthly bill. Need to determine the normal electric bill first and see when the savings would kick in if I purchase the system.

Take a look at your current US bill for electricity, get the KWH of the worst month of the year, ask the solar company for the price by KWH, multiply and that will be the worst case scenario.

Since we run a Pool here and expect to run one in PR, the same number of KWH used in PR would mean a PREPA bill of around $375 a month. So purchasing the equipment may be a better deal for me in the long run.

ReyP wrote:

Frogrock said she had some friends that were installing Solar, but last I spoke with her they have not done it yet. Check with her.

There seem to be two basic plans:
a) Flat out purchase the panels and installation
b) Free everything and you buy the electricity from the installing company.

The B option has some potential side effects: Next owner of the house has to agree to also buy electricity from them. Is another monopoly and another bill to remember to pay.

I plan to look into it a year or so after I move, will probably buy the whole thing instead of paying a monthly bill. Need to determine the normal electric bill first and see when the savings would kick in if I purchase the system.

Take a look at your current US bill for electricity, get the KWH of the worst month of the year, ask the solar company for the price by KWH, multiply and that will be the worst case scenario.

Since we run a Pool here and expect to run one in PR, the same number of KWH used in PR would mean a PREPA bill of around $375 a month. So purchasing the equipment may be a better deal for me in the long run.

The quote we got was for the monthly plan, we are reluctant to do anything at this time since we are not sure what our usage will be in PR. Also, I was thinking on the "rent" option since they will install, maintain the equipment and I wont have to do anything. We are not planning on selling the house, it will be our inherence for the girls. The cost per KWT is calculated at $.13, right now the cost with AEE is at $.27 and going higher.

It will be difficult for me to base my usage based on my house in Tx. Too many variables, bigger house, central A/C, and so on....if I were to calculate based on my current usage I think it will be around $400/mo or higher, since our cost for KWT in Texas is $.09, last month our usage was about 2000 kwt. 

For now we are going to wait and see if we can gage our usage in the winter when we are in the house for a month.

What I gave you was worst case scenario. That is what I use to make sure that worst case I can afford to live in PR. In my case my MA house has 3 window air conditioners and heating is baseboard based plus the pool. I have 4 people in the house at this time and on hot days we do leave one bedroom with air running and the door open so the dogs can go in and keep cool and not become Hot Dogs.

In PR it will be just 2 of us will likely not need air in other than bedroom and most of the time we will need only 1 air conditioner at night since most months we will not have visitors, however we will need the pool which runs about 8 hors a day. So my calculations are for a worst case situation, but I know I will use less KWH in PR so that is gravy, the difference is money I will not spend. I rather be prepared for the worst.

Even if the electricity or water goes up in price a year or two from now, I have build enough buffer in my budget that I can still afford it.
In my spread sheet, I created 3 columns, Worst case, Middle, most likely. The most likely may say total expenses at 2800 a month needed to live, while the middle one may say 3300 and the worst case says 4000. If I can afford 4000 but actually spend 2800, I am golden.

As we see the real numbers, we only remove from our IRA what is real and the rest sits in the stock market growing. The plan is to use less than the growth, that will provide for the leeches / sorry children   after we depart.

Your house in Texas is a lot different than mine so your number based on usage in Texas would be much farther apart.

That's a good plan, ours is kind of similar..... we are going to use our savings and the profits from the sale of our house and properties in the states (house and lands are paid off) to live for at least 8yrs, then start using the profits of our investments.
As for the kids, if there is anything left they can have it after we are gone. We promise ourselves that we were going to provide them a good education and help then start up, now is time for them to fly.....

Sounds like a good plan

adlin20 wrote:

That's a good plan, ours is kind of similar..... we are going to use our savings and the profits from the sale of our house and properties in the states (house and lands are paid off) to live for at least 8yrs, then start using the profits of our investments.
As for the kids, if there is anything left they can have it after we are gone. We promise ourselves that we were going to provide them a good education and help then start up, now is time for them to fly.....

ReyP and you have a good plan - include a contingency in your budget because living expenses will rise.  Folks stretching their budget to squeeze in a move will be "subsisting" in paradise, not "living."  I'd rather be a poor American in the states than abroad where there are no safety nets.

The Millenneals, in my opinion, will not overall have the opportunities us Boomers had, but then again they tend to "work to live" and not "live to work" like kids of the Greatest Generation ever seemed to sign up for!  So, if there's something left in the financial tank to leave them, great.  If not, well, maybe the generation that earned it should spend it! 

SawMan wrote:

adlin20 wrote:

That's a good plan, ours is kind of similar..... we are going to use our savings and the profits from the sale of our house and properties in the states (house and lands are paid off) to live for at least 8yrs, then start using the profits of our investments.
As for the kids, if there is anything left they can have it after we are gone. We promise ourselves that we were going to provide them a good education and help then start up, now is time for them to fly.....

ReyP and you have a good plan - include a contingency in your budget because living expenses will rise.  Folks stretching their budget to squeeze in a move will be "subsisting" in paradise, not "living."  I'd rather be a poor American in the states than abroad where there are no safety nets.

The Millenneals, in my opinion, will not overall have the opportunities us Boomers had, but then again they tend to "work to live" and not "live to work" like kids of the Greatest Generation ever seemed to sign up for!  So, if there's something left in the financial tank to leave them, great.  If not, well, maybe the generation that earned it should spend it! 

I agree with you on most everything but I would not consider PR "abroad", a simple airplane tickets get you to the mainland and other than Spanish and customs, it is a lot like the US mainland, dollars and federal laws are the same so you have the same protections.

True!!

Can you tell me the town/city you live in; and the temperatures/climate? Also is it primarily English speaking. Thank you

Not sure who you are asking, but in case it is everyone, almost all towns in PR are Spanish speaking. Rincon and the metro area of San Juan have a lot of expact so english can be found more readily.
Most Puerto Ricans ages 40 and younger and some of the older ones, know some English but most only use it when needed and they may not be fluent due to lack of practice. Tourist areas require higher level of fluency in English.

Forgot to add, No part of PR is primarly English speaking. Spanish is the main laguage by a very very long shot.

To live in PR you need to learn some Spanish or you will be very frustrated and unable to get much done.

We will speak about the rest if you can get past the idea of English comunity.

It is always warm in the island the average high for the year is about 84, may go to 90 or higher at times. For the low, most times around 75, mountain area may drop to 60 on occasion until the sun comes out.

UV factor of 6 to 11 is common 13 on occasiion. Humidity is high between 65 and 100, most common 75 humidity.
If tou plan to only use english, you will be limited mostly to living and interacting with mainlanders which is probably 1 to 2% of the 3.7 million people living in the island. Your bills will be in spanish, read signs in spanish, supermarkets in spanush.
Yes some Puerto Rican speak english but most times outside of the turist areas and rincon you will not find many.

Thanks very much. Very informative. Still in the investigating stage, Also considering Panama & Belize.

ReyP wrote:

Since we run a Pool here and expect to run one in PR, the same number of KWH used in PR would mean a PREPA bill of around $375 a month. So purchasing the equipment may be a better deal for me in the long run.

Why would you use electricity (solar or not) to heat water for the pool? It's much more cost efficient to directly heat the water with the heat of the sun.

Gary wrote:

ReyP wrote:

Since we run a Pool here and expect to run one in PR, the same number of KWH used in PR would mean a PREPA bill of around $375 a month. So purchasing the equipment may be a better deal for me in the long run.

Why would you use electricity (solar or not) to heat water for the pool? It's much more cost efficient to directly heat the water with the heat of the sun.

To tell you the truth, It never occurred to me to heat the water, but it is something to consider as the water may be a little too cool at the house. I was mainly thinking of the electric usage for the pump system, you just gave me another item that I should consider. The pool at the hotels I been to in Condado area were rather cool for my taste, wife don't care but I do. 80 degrees or so would be great!!!!!!

I agree that using the sun to directly heat the water would probably be more effective. Not sure how to go, I have to talk to both the company building the pool and the company setting up the solar system, but that has to wait until I am in the island. I need to discuss with them placement of the pool since a good chunk of the land is tilted downward and I also want the pool in as much sunlight as possible for sun bathing. Behind  the house is a nice flat area, mid point of the house and toward the street the land has a good decline.

If I have more room on the roof than what I need for the Electric Solar system, then Heated water for baths and pool can be direct from the sun.

Both, external kitchen stove and internal kitchen kitchen stove are propane currently so I will be able to cook even when I have no electricity but that should not be an issue with Solar panels anyway. I also plan to collect rain water for emergencies and have a pump to pump it into the system when needed.

My only concern about water is how to ensure I don't get a S**t load of dirt into the system and the house went the water  service from the street returns. I don't want the water tanks and drinking water filters all clogged up. It is probably the same as here in the states after a bad storm or somebody cleaning the fire hydrants, you get junky fealthy water.

Regarding water backwash.  I don't know if you are familiar with RPZs. That stands for Reverse Pressure Zone.  It is a device that prevents gunky water backwash and was a requirement when I was involved in construction projects in the States.

How about placing a pool solar cover that can be rolled up at one end of the pool when you are in the pool.  We had a cover for our above ground pool but decided to not use it because the water warmed up fast enough on it's own from the sun.

ReyP wrote:

I agree that using the sun to directly heat the water would probably be more effective. Not sure how to go.

You can buy complete solar water heater systems in places like Home Depot. Stuff like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_heating
I'm building my own system for around 500 bucks.

Gary wrote:

ReyP wrote:

I agree that using the sun to directly heat the water would probably be more effective. Not sure how to go.

You can buy complete solar water heater systems in places like Home Depot. Stuff like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_heating
I'm building my own system for around 500 bucks.

I would hire you to put mine up, but I know you are  super busy with your business.

frogrock wrote:

Regarding water backwash.  I don't know if you are familiar with RPZs. That stands for Reverse Pressure Zone.  It is a device that prevents gunky water backwash and was a requirement when I was involved in construction projects in the States.

I would definitely look into that!!!!!!
Great idea.

I'm looking for a good DIY model / set of plans for a solar water heater to install on the roof as a hot water supplement or pre heater to the normal hot water tank.   

Thanks in advance for the info.

It's no rocket science. You would need to know how to solder copper tubing and a little bit about electrical connections.
Basically you need a bunch of copper pipe (a coil  or two) on the roof, a small circulation pump and an electrical water heater as a backup. That's all there is to it.

Schuttzie wrote:

How about placing a pool solar cover that can be rolled up at one end of the pool when you are in the pool.  We had a cover for our above ground pool but decided to not use it because the water warmed up fast enough on it's own from the sun.

Solar cover with a roll at one end may be enough, it does not work that great here in MA, but it does help. I do not like cold water, so I hardly ever use the pool at my house, my wife on the other hand when she used to work would be in the pool at 3 AM, then do her exercises, then get ready for work, back in the pool at 3 pm and back in the pool before bed time. The water was like 55 to 60 most of the time, WAY TOO COLD for me to even consider getting in. I HATE cold. I been in US for 43 years and in MA for over 20 years and I will never get used to it.

I can't way to sell my place and move to the island until I die of old age and even then I want my ashes in the island.

Gary wrote:

It's no rocket science. You would need to know how to solder copper tubing and a little bit about electrical connections.
Basically you need a bunch of copper pipe (a coil  or two) on the roof, a small circulation pump and an electrical water heater as a backup. That's all there is to it.

I'm pretty good at most projects like that, basic electrical, plumbing, carpentry, etc, but I do need a proven design and plan to follow.  I find that generally speaking, my projects seem to turn out better if I have a road map so to speak.

Sitka wrote:

Gary wrote:

It's no rocket science. You would need to know how to solder copper tubing and a little bit about electrical connections.
Basically you need a bunch of copper pipe (a coil  or two) on the roof, a small circulation pump and an electrical water heater as a backup. That's all there is to it.

I'm pretty good at most projects like that, basic electrical, plumbing, carpentry, etc, but I do need a proven design and plan to follow.  I find that generally speaking, my projects seem to turn out better if I have a road map so to speak.

Soldering copper tubes looks fairly easy, I seen it several times and have done some plumbing for my pool, electric I am not sure about. As to figuring how it needs to work I think I got that, I can figure that out once I fully understand how it all supposed to come together. I will check with you when the time comes. depending on my success I may have a drawing then, but that will likely be late next year Sitka since I need to know where every thing will be and share some of the water tubing and electrical conduits for house, pool, heater, etc.

For something simple like this I make my own plan. It's been a while since I was in engineering school but I still know the basics.

Electricity:

A recent utilities bill here in Chico, Northern California my electricity usage fell into 3 pricing tiers.   I remember when TX and CA "deregulated" about the same time some years ago.  TX went up, CA went down.  I saw here TX running a bit under a dime per KWh now.  Avg my 3 tiers, I paid $0.19.  Gov't control politicians, as in CA, never get the market right.

Thinking of a 240/120V, 3 phase generator running on propane.  Does anyone know how much like a restaurant or hotel pays a company like Tropigas to fill a 100 or 200 gallon tank pays per gal or liter?  Folks in Kansas were paying $0.85 per gal delivered this summer on the farm.  Houston wholesale got down to $0.40.  I figure if the propane were around $1.25 I could generate power at about $0.12 to $0.14 per KWh.  Might get some expat neighbors to go together designing a system.  Using mini split A/C like mentioned here together would create an economical, on demand system.  The concept is dependent on a reasonable propane (LPG) supply.  Any casas available next door Gary?  You sound like my kinda guy.

Carlos when in RD wrote:

Does anyone know how much like a restaurant or hotel pays a company like Tropigas to fill a 100 or 200 gallon tank pays per gal or liter?

They have a pretty good looking website, maybe they'll answer inquiries.. http://www.tropigaspr.net/contacto

Carlos when in RD wrote:

Any casas available next door Gary?  You sound like my kinda guy.

Plenty of real estate for rent and for sale all over the island. I our area there are some houses for sale, too and more will be available soon. A lot of people in their twenties and thirties are looking for jobs in the lower 48 because they can't find work here..

We bought a box to watch tv over the Internet. We paid $100 for the box and it will cost us $ 100 per year. That makes  $8,33 for tv (we got mor than 1000 programs from all over the world and many movie channels) and $40 for internet. Makes a total cost of $ 48,33 a month.
Electricity is around $80, depends on how much I bake. We don't use A/C, only fans.

Marion, that sounds like a great deal!  Could you share what kind of box this is and where to get it?

Marion, that sounds like a great deal!  Could you share what kind of box this is and where to get it?

Hello!
It is called "HIGH DEFINITION IPTV SET-TOP-BOX  MAG 254 and He bought it AT Amazon.

It shows as reduced to 89.00, sounds interesting but it sounds like you also need to sign up with an IPTV provider to get channels.