A one-way ticket to Puerto Rico.

Hi ThePogo,

Welcome to Expat.com!

Thank you for this introduction.

I wish you good luck in your search.

All the best,
Christine
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Expat.com team

Hi ThePogo. I am a local and an optimist. I am the kind of person that says that life on the island is difficult when others say that it is impossible. When others say that the economy is in the toilet I might say that it is a matter of working twice as hard. When others say that life is expensive I might say that it is a matter of working with less. But today I will not be an optimist because my optimism might deceive you into thinking that your plan is sound. And I honestly think that your plan will most likely fail.

If you can live on an exclusive rice and beans diet, manage not to get sick once, and are OK with living in a place where your stuff might get stolen, 4K might last you three months. And chances are that you won't be able to find a job in those three months. It is common to see college grads working cash registers. And illegal immigrants fill the even lower paying jobs that not even the Puerto Ricans want to do.

I've met Americans who work as bartenders on touristy pubs. I've met Americans who have started successful businesses. But I've also met Americans who beg for money on the streets. All of them started out with a dream. Some of them planned things better than others. Some of them worked harder than others. Some of them started out with more. Some of them just got lucky.

But if you're adamant about your decision to come to the island with 4K and a bag full of your belongings then I will urge you to do as much research as you can. Don't come to the island with an idea of how much apartments will cost. Come with a list of places that are for rent. Don't come to the island with an idea of the job that you would like to do. Come to the island with a list of places where you can apply to work. And most importantly, save enough money to go back home if things don't work out.

Good luck.

Edit: Do you have a specialized skill set or degree that might give you an advantage when looking for work?

Another Edit: I understand that Puerto Rico and Utah are different enough for there to be quite a bit of a culture shock. (I've never been to Utah so I might be wrong.) Keep the following things in mind: The median household income of Puerto Rico is 1/3 of the median household income of Utah. The unemployment rate of Puerto Rico is almost three times as high. Puerto Rico is 2nd in population density in the USA, Utah is 41st. And crime, I don't even know how to quantify a multiplier. Try to think of how poverty, lack of employment, crime, and overpopulation will make every aspect of daily life different, more difficult, and more interesting.

Thanks!  I know that I wrote my post in a way that portrayed the feelings of "I have a dream and I'm sticking to it!", and "I know things will work out, they always do!", but honestly I know that in reality that is not the case.  I have been doing steady research on places to live and jobs to apply for, but obviously this far in advance I can't create a list of definite things to try for.

"Don't come to the island with an idea of how much apartments will cost. Come with a list of places that are for rent. Don't come to the island with an idea of the job that you would like to do. Come to the island with a list of places where you can apply to work."

That is by far one of the most helpful things I have read.  That is the mindset that anyone and everyone should have when relocating.

I created an imaginary "bubble" while writing my post, so don't feel bad for "bursting" it or anything.    I think your post will help many others beyond myself in considering moving to a far away place.

From what I gather, do you recommend I save up more money before attempting to move?  I will now definitely have a large list of places to apply to and apartments to consider renting the moment I arrive.  In a perfect world, my "plan"(as superficially displayed in my first post), would have a shot at working.  But, as it turns out, we are in nothing near a perfect world.  I know it won't be something easy to accomplish, but I have a strong will-power to work hard and a high resilience to help me out when things get tough.

Edit: I am excellent with computers, especially in programs such as excel, powerpoint, etc.  I am also proficient in graphic design programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, although I'm not sure how much those will help out!  I am also a great people person and can make friends wherever I go, and have excelled in any sort of customer service job I have held in the past.

(Also) Another Edit: I lived in Tucuman, Argentina for an extended amount of time.  I understand poverty, lack of employment, crime, overpopulation, lack of running water or electricity, lack of food, absence of police or any other authoritative force, among other things.  A culture shock is the very least of my worries!    I feel alright with that aspect of moving to a completely new place.

Listen to Adolfo. The man is wise way beyond his years. Before the economy collapsed your idea might have sounded interesting. Today it sounds plain dangerous. Come here. Spend a week or two at a time getting a feel for the place. Do that several times. Once you do that, you still will not have a clue what it's like to actually live here. I would suggest that the San Juan Metro area is not a good place to be without much money. You said you are no stranger to poverty in a foreign country. But if you have little or no money and are without friends and connections, there is a good possibility that the city will just swallow you up. The island is something like 40 miles tall and 100 miles wide. The murder rate here is up over 1,000 for the year. And that's just the ones they know about. But Adolfo is right about the food. Unless you plan to live on nothing but rice and beans, be prepared to spend an outrageous amount of money on food alone. I could go on with a whole list of negatives but I want to point out that there are some people that come here with little or nothing and somehow find a way to make it work and they will tell you that there is nowhere else on earth they would rather wake up every morning. I thought I would be one of those people when I came here, but the general mentality of the people here just emotionally beat that notion right out of me. That's my experience. But it doesn't have to be yours. Just be smart, be practical and keep your eyes wide open and if you really really want to do this, go for it. It's still better than kicking yourself in the ass the rest of your life for not doing it and never knowing what could have been. Good luck and please, put together a much bigger financial cushion for yourself.

Dear Pogo,
Before coming to PR please, and with all due respect I tell you, go and have your head examined. This is not, I repeat not the place to be, with all the skills you have mentioned I suggest you check out someplace like Costa Rica first. Sorry if I burst you bubble, but life here is HARD. And being from Utah I imagine there will be the additional factor of culture shock. This , my friend is not a nice place. Daily life is a struggle and like the old American west, it's basically lawless and only the strong (ie corrupt) survive. I was just having a conversation with my wife just today. And it's so sad that living in such an environment how one must adjust to living here. At first one tries to rise above the daily grind and the injustices that one witnesses everyday, but the sad part is that sooner or later you MUST go down the the level of society here, because if you dont. You will be left behind and in many cases I know first hand of, fight for food on a daily basis. I guess what I'm saying is that this is not for the feint of heart. When it's eat or be eaten, you learn how to eat real fast. But then again this is just my opinion.]

I'm an optimist, too and I have been here for 10 years now and I'm still happy to be here.

Nevertheless, if you plan to sell your stuff and get on a plane with only 4 Grand in your pocket I'm sure you're going to have a very hard time.
Like Adolfo said, $4K might keep you alive for about three months and it's far from sure that you'll have found a job within those three months.

I'd suggest to save some more (like ten Grand or so) PLUS make sure that you have a plan B (as in a return ticket to f.i. Utah or another place in the US where you have family and/or friends you can rely on in times of need)

I know the climate is different but if you're looking for a place you can get a job instantly, check out Williston, ND. Lots of jobs there but kinda hard to find a place to live. It might even be a good plan to go there and save up 10 Grand before you come to PR.

Thank you everyone for your helpful insights.

I'm not dead set on moving to Puerto Rico.  I would, no matter what, like to move away from Utah to a warmer climate, and have always been enamored with the idea of living in a Spanish environment.  For these two reasons, and the fact that it's a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico was the first idea that came to my head.  I will save up more money, closer to the 10K mark, and then make my decision on where to relocate to.  If it does end up being Puerto Rico, which city/part of the island has a relatively cheaper cost of living?  Rincon, Ponce, Mayagnez... I'm not too picky, but I'd like to live somewhere that travelling to the beach is a simple ordeal.

p.s. The expenditure of money doesn't bother me like it does most other people, although I am extremely frugal.  What I mean, though, is that if I move out there, spend all that I have(besides enough for a ticket home), and end up retreating back here, I wouldn't consider it any sort of loss--but rather an immense gain of experience.  Of course, while out there I'd give it my absolute best shot to make it work!

Hello,

As Puerto Rico's economy turns for the worse, I highly suggest for you to think twice before coming to live here; however, I can't stop you from pursuing your dreams/desires which I admire. 

If you are a U.S. Citizen, nothing else needs to be done to establish permanent residency. 

Hotels, regardless of size or age, can be very expensive here.  I'd suggest starting out with a hostel until you find a stable job to acquire an apartment.  Here is a link to some local hostels of which some provide private rooms:  hostelworld.com/findabed.php/ChosenCity.San-Juan/ChosenCountry.Puerto-Rico

Since you are fluent in Spanish, try checking out their classifieds at clasificadosonline.com or jobs.monster.com/l-puerto-rico.aspx .

I read somewhere that PR imports about 75% of produce from the states, hence the alarming price difference.  Despite being a U.S. territory, many goods are still taxed while being imported here; needless to say, nothing is cheap here, so be mindful of how you spend your money.  Ramen noodles can go a long way if you know what I mean (reminiscing about my college years).

Is there a reason for choosing Hato Rey? There are so many other areas to check out which may suit you better. 

Regardless, I wish you the best of luck & if you have any more questions or concerns don't hesitate to email me back

Thanks Abattig!

I was definitely considering hostels over hotels, and that site will be an immense help for me, thank you!  How is the price on eggs and milk there?  I've lived off noodles before and have learned to make meals out of miscellaneous bits and scraps.

I just got a new job and will be able to save up a lot more money now, so if I move down there I'll have a stronger financial base.

Also, I just chose Hato Rey because I found a lot of available apartments to rent there.  I have no clue what any areas are like and I am open to suggestions!  It doesn't even have to be near San Juan.

I'm not going to just throw myself into this unprepared, despite what my prior posts suggested.   So I need guidance and information!

Even Ramen noodles are expensive here. Also, di some research on Costa Rica.

ThePogo,

Prices tend to be a lil bit more expensive, perhaps $1-3 more than the states.  We do have wholesale stores such as Costco's & Sam's Club.  If you have no problem buying in bulk, you can save a lot of money by shopping at these stores.

Regarding neighborhoods, what requirements are you looking for?  Would you like to be in the Art District, be close to the beach, several restaurants, metro bus or train line, Old San Juan (old world charm) etc???

Just to give you a heads up, I found some apartments as low as $400/month in some descent areas. 



Angie

Also, I hear Rincon is a pretty cool place to live & inexpensive.  A lot of Americans tend to reside in this surfing town

If you want a warmer climate with a Hispanic culture, go to Orlando or Kissimmee, FL. I was born and raised there. It's warm and probably well over 50% of the population is Puerto Rican. You get to experience the awesome Puerto Rican hospitality/culture without dealing with all the crap of this island. Everything that everyone else has said is true--especially about the groceries. We have four children, so paying $6 for a gallon of milk is enough to break us. And forget about eating healthy. Produce is ridiculous. Green peppers are like $4 for two of them, lettuce $2, strawberries are around $8 for an 8 oz. package. Every time I go to the grocery store I spend about $60 + and walk out with literally two bags. Most of the time that is just cheap filler crap and no meat or anything of substance. There are no "buy one get one free" sales and if you handed them a coupon they would probably look at you like you were nuts. Yeah...it's super expensive. Electricity is $350 a month for us to run one AC unit from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and sweat it out the rest of the day. In my opinion, Utah is TOO different from PR. I went to college here with some people from Utah and they are DYING to go back as soon as graduation is over. Move to Florida

I'm sorry Designer-mommy is having such a terrible time in Puerto Rico. Personally i would rather live in Utah than in Orlando: Orlando is  HOTTER than..... !!!! in Orlando it's FLAT, FLAT, FLAT, it takes for ever to get near a beach, and pretty darn ugly all around.  YES: PR is expensive compared to Utah but not compared to the east coast and any major city like Chicago or New York but you can shop in SAMS, Walmart or COSTCO and get GREAT meat, veggies, etc. at better prices. if you can't deal with the larger quantities, shop with a neighbor.  i spent $100 yesterday at Sam's and got steaks, a cooked chicken,salads, fruit, cleaning supplies, great bread and biscuits and a flat of yogurt. 
over the long weekend, on Saturday i went to several beaches - parked for free and snorkeled off the beach all afternoon. on Sunday we went to an amazing pine forest in the mountains at almost 2000 ft. watched the sunset on the Caribbean and had great snacks and ice tea for about $25..on Monday, we went to Culebra, $2 for an almost 2 hour amazing ferry ride and spent the day on a pure white beach... all within a 1-2 hour drive of San Juan ... nothing like that in Orlando!!! Yes, electricity is expensive, yes,the governmental systems here are antiquated to say the least, yes, many Puerto Ricans are biased against "gringos" but it's still a beautiful place to be and live.  life is an adventure, try to enjoy it.

Where Moving Where

I like the picture you created . Although the ferry is always the worst part of the trip in PR...the rest sounded lovely

If you're LDS, you could try to build things through that. I had an ex-pat LDS family as clients last tax season, but unfortunately cannot remember their name or the name of the business he's established with his brother here.

EDIT: and actually I've seen some cost of living maps which shows that PR is more costly than Manhattan, primarily due to lack of public services.

I m glad I found this thread. A little old but informative.

Read as many past posts as you can. They can be very entertaining. You'll find some of the bickering among some expats amusing. But there is also a wealth of information and most if not all of the questions people ask now, you can find the answers to in the old posts. I would listen in particular to people like Gary, Nomad Lawyer and Adolfo. They are able to pretty much see all sides of the equation. As for me, I'm labeled as the resident grouch. People say that I have nothing but negative things to say about the island and I'm a "naysayer". But if you read my posts closely you will find that I have plenty of positive things to say about PR. Also a lot of the "negative" things I've mentioned are tough to dispute anymore. But I'm 62. I have a different take on things sometimes because of that. Besides, at my age I have no patience for bullshit or stupidity anymore. I don't have a stake in whether or not somebody moves to PR. I don't give a crap either way. But you'll find that some of the older posts are filled with people who work for or own companies that profit from people relocating to the island and they try to convince you that PR is an absolute paradise with nothing but great things here. But it's like the Wizard of OZ, "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain". But since you've already declared that your income is very limited you probably won't get any comments from those people anyway. You will need to be resourceful, confident, patient and extra tolerant. It's like my new favorite saying goes- "Do no harm, but take no shit". The best thing I ever got from Puerto Rico is the "Sato", or street dog that's sleeping in her bed not 10 feet away from me right now. It's been fun. Talk to you later.

That's a beautiful dog by the way.

Thanks, I have spent a lot of time on the Costa Rica side of this Expat.com thingy. I have had many laughs watching folks bicker and had a few run ins with the trolls. I hope to find the same here. Its great to get all the perspectives from sunshine and lollipops to grouchy old men.

Chris

Your post attracted me when I saw the guitar picture. I have been looking for an American to jam with. I'm not familiar with the Spanish music. When I finished reading your post I had to respond. We (my wife and I) are retired. We bought a house in El Duque, a barrio of Naguabo just north of Humacao. This is far from the hustle and bustle of the city and we do not see the crime although I am sure it is here. We enjoy a fairly simple life tucked away in the jungle, but, we do not have to work. My advise to friends who want to move here is simple. Do not come here if you need to work. Be able to maintain your home by yourself. You should know something about electricity, plumbing, concrete, carpentry and masonry. Be prepared to deal with an astounding bureaucracy that is slow and corrupt. Hire a lawyer, you will need one. Except the fact that health care is slow and poor (unless you can access the VA).
On the positive side PR is a beautiful island with near perfect weather. Most of the people we have met have been very nice. Housing costs are reasonable if you can spend the time to negotiate but securing a title can be a challenge. I have no knowledge of renting other than to know I will not rent my property, there is just to much risk. Bottom line is that the others have given you good advice. Don't come here without an exit strategy. We came down for six months, searched the whole island and found our home by being at the right place at the right time. The one rental we had was a modern, expensive house on the water that was extremely hot, had bad wiring and was full of tarantulas. I have seen the Americans begging for food in OSJ, I would hate to see you added to their number. Remember, without a ticket home, you're stuck here. Please think long and hard before you make a move.