Living in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan is a mid-sized coastal city in Puerto Rico (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 27°C over the year with about 1,668 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €3,210 a month to live centrally, and Puerto Rico sits in our low to medium tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in Puerto Rico is possible, with conditions.
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- Est. cost
- €3,210
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 27°C
- 1,668 mm rain a year
- Size
- Mid-sized
- 250,000 to 1 million people
- Safety
- 55/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~120 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- for most foreigners
What stands out about San Juan
- Warmer than 85% of the cities we track
- On or near the sea
Climate
San Juan averages 27°C across the year with about 1,668 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 85% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions. Puerto Rico has no immigration system of its own; it falls under US federal immigration, so US citizens relocate freely while everyone else needs a US green card through family or employer sponsorship or the EB-5 investor route, with no self-funded passive-income or retirement option.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Puerto Rico:
- Investment: about $800k (US EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, USD 800,000 in a Targeted Employment Area (lowest tier; USD 1,050,000 outside a TEA), per the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022; Puerto Rico is covered by US federal immigration; as of June 2026)
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €3,210 a month to live centrally in San Juan, 18% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 30% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Safety and stability
Puerto Rico scores 55 out of 100 on safety, safer than 31% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 7.0 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Puerto Rico. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Language and culture
Main languages: Spanish, English. English proficiency: good. Social openness scores 70 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Healthcare
Puerto Rico scores 68 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 61% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Puerto Rico.
Taxes
Puerto Rico sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see San Juan in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Puerto Rico runs at about 120 Mbps, faster than 46% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Questions couples ask about San Juan
Is San Juan a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, San Juan scores well on English. It is weaker on affordability. Expect a warm, very wet climate (27°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks San Juan and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in San Juan?
We estimate about €3,210 a month for a couple living centrally, 18% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in San Juan?
Puerto Rico is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see San Juan in their results.
Can foreigners live in Puerto Rico long term?
Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Puerto Rico has no immigration system of its own; it falls under US federal immigration, so US citizens relocate freely while everyone else needs a US green card through family or employer sponsorship or the EB-5 investor route, with no self-funded passive-income or retirement option. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $800k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in San Juan?
San Juan averages 27°C across the year with about 1,668 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very wet. It is warmer than 85% of the cities we track.
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