Another moving to PR thread

PR appeals to me because I could get the stuff above while having the "new" factor at the same time and also keep my job.

The most difficult thing to do in Puerto Rico is getting a good job. This is twice as hard for most expats because they don't speak the language. But if you don't have to worry about getting a job on the island then you've already overcome the biggest hurdle to living here. The rest will be comparatively easy.

How is the cost of living?  I read that it's expensive but cheaper then the states.  I would expect the city to be expensive and the rural areas to be cheaper but how is it in reality?

Puerto Rico is expensive when you compare it to other Latin American destinations like Costa Rica. But this is to be expected because the island is part of the USA. But this somehow surprises many expats who come to the island expecting to live like royalty with their pension paychecks. But that's not the result of the island being expensive but the outcome of shattered expectations due to bad research. However, if you have a local Puerto Rican job living on the island will be kind of expensive because even though the cost of living here is not exorbitant when compared to the states the local salaries are much lower. But again, if you're not trying to get a Puerto Rican job this won't be a problem.

How are hurricanes and tropical storms?  Obviously it's a part of life for Puerto Ricans but they're foreign to me even living on the Gulf Coast.  Is there a better part of the island to be or a worse part to be as far as how affected they are from hurricanes?

They visit us every once in a while but they're pretty manageable. If you move to a concrete house in an area that doesn't flood or is in danger of collapsing you will be OK. Worst case scenario the utilities get knocked out for a week and you have to do a lot of yard work.

We would probably try to live on the North West coast.

The Northwest coast is pretty decent for expats. Rincón, for example, is filled with snow birds who come here to surf on the Winter months and Aguadilla tends to be a bit more forward thinking than your average Puerto Rican town. But just like with every other place on the island don't expect decent to be uniform over a large area. Do your research down to the house level.

At the moment my only reasoning for that is that the travel guides I've read don't really suggest any routes that include that part of the island. I guess there's not as many people that way?

I find this rather odd because the northwest of the island is a popular vacation destination and it isn't particularly uninhabited. In fact, because Puerto Rico has an incredibly high population density it won't be easy to find an area that's particularly uninhabited.

How safe is it outside of the cities in the smaller towns?  I have a wife who would be on her own with our 1 year old for 2 weeks at a time.  She is very fluent is spanish and has lived in Peru for a couple years.

Small towns are not necessarily safer than big cities. I would feel much safer living in a walkable city like Condado or in a gated community in Guaynabo than in a small town in the boonies. And living in a small town doesn't guarantee you peace and quiet. You can find bad neighbors with loud stereos and ghetto blasters mounted on loud cars just about everywhere. When somebody tells you that Puerto Ricans are loud don't interpret that as meaning that we're joyful. It literally means that we're loud. Do a lot of research before choosing a good neighborhood.

But most important of all don't move to the island without having visited it first. It is not for everyone. And when you're on the island try to visit as many places as possible. Choosing a good place to live will be extremely important. And while safety and peace and quiet will be your priorities don't forget to factor things like traffic, availability of goods and services, and social isolation into your equations.

I cannot think of anything to add to adolfojp's thoughtful post. Like he said, visit first. Not sure where you lived in Peru before but if your wife can handle a lot of noise pollution and you don't mind absorbing the high cost of living, then PR sounds like it might fit.

In my opinion, there is a lot more noise pollution (usually coming even from your next door neighbors) in PR than in most Latin American countries, as surprising as that might sound.

adolfojp wrote:

How are hurricanes and tropical storms?  Obviously it's a part of life for Puerto Ricans but they're foreign to me even living on the Gulf Coast.  Is there a better part of the island to be or a worse part to be as far as how affected they are from hurricanes?

They visit us every once in a while but they're pretty manageable. If you move to a concrete house in an area that doesn't flood or is in danger of collapsing you will be OK. Worst case scenario the utilities get knocked out for a week and you have to do a lot of yard work.

Thanks for the info.  What are some areas where flooding and collapsing are more common?

Seek out those places where there is higher ground. Be careful of living near rivers and streams. They can flood an amazing amount, rapidly. There is always a danger of flash flooding in heavy rains. That's particularly dangerous in mountainous areas. Just research any area you might like to live and ask around about what areas are prone to flooding. Also ask people what areas are more apt to have utility outages. Most of all, be careful when driving. Don't risk driving across that heavy steam of water going across the road in a heavy rainstorm. You could find yourself in very serious trouble before you know it. It sounds a bit ominous but it's not as bad as some places in the states where they have dangerous snowstorms or tornadoes. Just remember, with storms common sense prevails.

adolfojp wrote:

We would probably try to live on the North West coast.

The Northwest coast is pretty decent for expats. Rincón, for example, is filled with snow birds who come here to surf on the Winter months and Aguadilla tends to be a bit more forward thinking than your average Puerto Rican town. But just like with every other place on the island don't expect decent to be uniform over a large area. Do your research down to the house level.
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Where would one find less expats and more locals on the island?  Or is it just a small island with a mix if locals and expats everywhere?

podarkey wrote:

Where would one find less expats and more locals on the island?  Or is it just a small island with a mix if locals and expats everywhere?

I think that most expats are to be found in the more expensive areas like gated communities etc. If you want to be among locals look for a smaller town.
I live in a barrio where I am the only non-Puerto Rican and I'm sure there are many places like this one.

Small island? That depends on what you call small. The dimensions of the place are roughly 100 x 35 miles and there's almost 4 million of us. Compared with Texas it is small but I wouldn't call this a small island.

Gary wrote:

podarkey wrote:

Where would one find less expats and more locals on the island?  Or is it just a small island with a mix if locals and expats everywhere?

I think that most expats are to be found in the more expensive areas like gated communities etc. If you want to be among locals look for a smaller town.
I live in a barrio where I am the only non-Puerto Rican and I'm sure there are many places like this one.

Small island? That depends on what you call small. The dimensions of the place are roughly 100 x 35 miles and there's almost 4 million of us. Compared with Texas it is small but I wouldn't call this a small island.

It might not be small compared to other islands but think it's a small area for 4 million people.  Everything I've read is that there aren't any small towns. What's your definition of a small town?  I'm thinking less then 10,000 people. I'm from a town that had 3000-5000 people depending on tourist season. I'd like to live in a place with fewer non-Puerto Ricans.  I'm not looking to just hang out with expats in an expat neigborhood.  We're going to visit within the next 6 months but we'll only be able to for 1 week. The goal would be to find a town that fits what we want which is probably hard to do with only 1 week. If we still decide to go for it then we'd move in a year.

podarkey wrote:

What's your definition of a small town?  I'm thinking less then 10,000 people.

Something like that, yes.

podarkey wrote:

I'd like to live in a place with fewer non-Puerto Ricans.  I'm not looking to just hang out with expats in an expat neigborhood.

Most expats are living in the more expensive neighborhoods in cities (Guaynabo, Condado f.i), in towns/communities on the coast (Dorado, Rincon, Cabo Rojo, Palmas del Mar etc.).
In smaller towns in the interior you'll find less or no expats. In my area f.i. San Lorenzo, Juncos, Las Piedras, Naguabo.

podarkey wrote:

We're going to visit within the next 6 months but we'll only be able to for 1 week. The goal would be to find a town that fits what we want which is probably hard to do with only 1 week. If we still decide to go for it then we'd move in a year.

You're right, one week is not a lot to do your research. Try to come over a couple of times and check out different areas. When you find an area you like try to rent something there for a week or two and live like a local before you make the step.