It's important to know the pros and cons of living in an area before you visit or make a big move. Living in Puerto Rico–even for a short time–can be a wonderful adventure or full of stress and culture shock, depending on your expectations and resources. I've put together a BIG list of the pros and cons of living in Puerto Rico so you can decide whether moving to this beautiful island is the right choice. Enjoy, and if you have something to add to the list, go ahead and add it to the comment section below!
Puerto Rico Arguably Pros and Cons
PROS
Warm weather all the time
Longest Christmas season in the world
Lots of bilingual people (if you don't speak Spanish)
Some of the best rum in the world
People are warm, friendly and helpful
Flip flops and sandals year-round
Beautiful men and women!
Great boating, fishing, diving and surfing
All people born in PR are US citizens
LOTS of parties and festivals — you will meet people and have a busy social life
Always a beautiful beach to be found, usually empty
Colonial architecture
Delicious local food and some of the best coffee in the world
Over 20 forest preserves
Easy transition from U.S. (same money, no passport needed, no customs at airport)
Lower drinking age (18)
Incredible tax benefits
You can grow a lot of fruit and native vegetables easily & year round
You are living on a tropical island!
More affordable than many U.S. cities, other Caribbean islands or Hawaii
Good infrastructure (highways system, cable, Internet, cell phone service)
You will find yourself exercising more—lots of outdoor recreation
You will find familiar stores (Costco, Walmart, Best Buy and food chains)
You can hire people for lower wages
Like the U.S., they have Social Security, Medicare, and worker's comp
Easy to start and operate a business in certain sectors
Housing and real estate–it's a buyer's market
Health insurance costs are MUCH less. Good quality care (though you WILL wait)
A good college education is very affordable
CONS
Warm weather all the time
You will not be able to vote in U.S. elections (if you file paperwork to become an official resident)
The economy is poor
Many things are more expensive like cars, milk, electricity, non-native food, gas…
You will probably need to send your children to private schools
Many homes have no air conditioning (or don't use it) and lack a dishwasher
Culture shock-things are done differently
Shipping costs from the U.S. can be high
Many online companies don't ship here, or won't ship some items here
It's hard to find fresh local fish! How crazy is that?
Local TV news is in Spanish
High season tourists
Traffic in San Juan and surrounding areas
Poor public transportation
Hurricane season from May to November (but the locals don't care)
Everything (especially in the government) has to be done in person
Crime is high in some areas (like most cities)
Hard to find a well-paying job, if you are looking
You electricity will go out. Often in some areas.
Everything takes longer–at least 3x longer
Very hard to live here if you are vegetarian or eat only organics (pork is in EVERYTHING)
Bugs! Big bugs (but none are deadly)
LOTS of stray dogs and cats. It's very sad to see
Finding stores, doctors, restaurants or anything online. Most businesses lack a web presence or don't have a good one
GPS works only part of the time
Emergency rooms and hospitals are crowded and not as good as in the U.S.
Any doctor's visit takes all day
Waiting in lines at the supermarket–and most other places
Bad driving! A left turn across traffic at a red light from the right lane isn't uncommon.
Areas to Visit
San Juan: A business and tourist hub with preserved Spanish colonial architecture, shops, bars, restaurants, and bustling nightclubs. In San Juan, stay close in either Isla Verde or Condado for the easiest beach access, or in Old San Juan for proximity to historic sites, restaurants, and bars.
Northeast: A short drive from San Juan, this area is densely populated, but low-key and home to beautiful rainforests and secluded beaches
Northwest: World-class surfing, natural wonders and some of the best beaches in the island; Aguadilla, Rio Camuy Cave Park and Rincon are main draws, but also Dorado, with its golf courses and casinos
Southwest: Arguably the island's most beautiful region, with white-sand beaches, forest reserves, exotic birds, phosphorescent waters, charming colonial architecture, and opulent villas. Head to the western side of the island to be close to charming towns like Boqueron.
Southeast: It's the land of contrasts, with luxury living, golf courses, miles of beautiful sandy beaches, and undeveloped areas. In eastern Puerto Rico, you'll find big resorts, nature reserves, miles of beautiful beaches and luxury living.
Islands: The most famous offshore islands are Culebra and Vieques, with clear waters, breathtaking beaches, and coral reefs; uninhabited Isla Mona has beautiful soaring violet cliffs
Do you have something to add to the list? Comment below and share!
THE ARGUABLY PROS AND CONS OF LIVING IN PR
This is a great list of the pros and cons.
Yesterday I almost ran into the car on front of me on the highway to San Juan because he was driving at twenty miles per hour! I am not exaggerating.
Something I love about Puerto Rico is the warmth of the people I meet. Chatting with strangers and casual acquaintances is a way of life.
Finding a good doctor is a challenge, but once you find one, they are very attentive. You are never rushed.
Advertising is poor. Ads often do not include essential information, such as the start-time of an event and the address. Finding addresses, even if it is supplied, is extremely frustrating.
There are many free activities but the only way to learn about them is word-of-mouth. I attend free water aerobics classes and free dance classes.
Local Public Libraries are scarce. Bookstores are scarce.
Great coffee, great rum, lousy apples, no freshly baked rye bread.
What we can use is one or more experienced tax accountants or lawyers with Federal and PR tax experience. This is a negative we need to add to the list for expats planing on living permanently in the island when they have a mix of local and stateside income, properties and combined loses plus dealing with moving expenses and realty costs that need go in the tax papers.
Frog -- there's a new bakery in OSJ that makes fresh rye bread daily. Also pastries, bagettes, etc. They also serve breakfast and lunch and it's always packed.
OMG! Where is this bakery?
You can also find Artisan breads at the many organic food markets that are popping up in most major areas. These folks travel around the Island to market their products.
Off subject
Since the last posts to this article were from 2017, I thought I'd give it an update for 2019:
Most of the pros and cons of living in Puerto Rico are similar with the exception of the fact that now GPS is more powerful in PR, even after the damages of Hurricane Maria. I last visited the island during the summer of 2019. Uber is available in most of the metro areas near San Juan but hard to get a car from the smaller towns (some don't even exist in the small towns but the drivers from the city will take you anywhere). The Uber drivers are not allowed to pick you up at the airport so you would have to leave the airport area by taxi or bus and then call a uber afterwards.
Lots of homes that were abandoned but still in great shape are on sale for great bargain prices. However buyer beware. Some of the homes that look too good to be true for the price is because they are located in a high crime area; or had flooding damage; or had electrical damage after the hurricane.
But for those fixer uppers, there are still lots of bargain priced homes.
I am considering retiring here after I finish retiring in the U.S. first, because according to some of my family members living there, the process of setting up your retirement pay and social security and medicare is a nightmare in Puerto Rico. So you're better off starting it in the continental U.S. first and then all you have to do is change the address to send the payments after you move to the island.
The people are awesome and kind. Youth are very respectful towards the elderly. The beaches are usually clean in the countryside but can be dirty on the tourist sides near San Juan. Some of the country bars and restaurants are beautiful, clean, and cheap. While some can be neglected, dirty, and expensive. Drivers have gotten better but public transportation is still lacking in the smaller towns.
Finally the last thing I did not like about the housing in PR is the fact that most of the homes look like jail cells (due to the gates that come with most of them). I guess you can tell which towns have a higher crime rate by the amount of homes you see with way too many gates on them. If you find homes in the country side with lesser cages attached, that's usually an indicator that it is a safer town. The ones I found to be nicer, quieter, and safer were the small towns in the center of the island or the south west areas like Mayaguez.
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