Living in Puerto Rico for two young people

war035 wrote:

I would like to know the cost and availably of the following things (if you don't know the answer to everything, that's fine. We know nothing about Puerto Rico as of right now!)

Let me ask you a question first. Do you guys speak Spanish? If you don't it's going to be very difficult because other than in the main tourist areas you can't get along with English only.

war035 wrote:

-How easy is it to find a job? Will having our Associates segress help us at all? Would a bachelors degree be more helpful or does it not matter?

It won't be easy. The economy has been bad here since before the credit crisis and the latter didn't really improve things... Next to that, keep in mind that when you're not in your home country, you have to be either better or cheaper (or both) to beat a local applicant for any job.
You might get something in the tourist areas where it can be an advantage to be a native American speaker but you would still need at least a basic knowledge of Spanish.

war035 wrote:

-What is the minimum wage?

$5.75/hour

war035 wrote:

-Renting an apartment? How hard is it going to be and how expensive can it be compared to how cheap it can be?

It all depends on how money you can spend. A halfway decent place would start at $500/month, more expensive in the tourist areas, cheaper in countryside.
There are cheap places (from $200) available in the university area (in Rio Piedras, part of greater San Juan). For 200 bucks you get something like an 8 x 8 feet room with a tiny bathroom.

war035 wrote:

-What is the cost of gas a gallon?

We don't do gallons, we use liters for gas. (1gallon = 3.75 liters)
Right now a liter of regular is around 50 dollar cents.

war035 wrote:

-Is it necassary to have a car?

That depends where you want to go. Within greater San Juan (population around 1.1 million) there is some public transport. If you want to go out of the city you'll need a car.

war035 wrote:

-What is the health care system like there, and how hard is it to get by without medical insurance?

The health system is very similar to that in the mainland USA.
You can get an insurance starting at around 60 bucks/person/month (if you're young and healthy) Many hospitals have an emergency room where anybody in need of direct medical attention will get help, even if they can't pay.