Desiring to move to Puerto Rico

Hi, Kalola. When you say 'living comfortably', are you referring to the weather or to the cost of living?

Living comfortably for the weather if you can afford the sky high electricity to run an AC part time. Quiet places near a beach with a gentle breeze are increasingly difficult to find. It's also difficult to find a clean beach to go to after a weekend, especially a holiday weekend. It's a small island and the population has exploded. There aren't many places you can go anymore that you don't have to deal with a lot of noise. But you have to take a trip or two or three down there to get a feel for the place. Do you speak Spanish?

Thank you for the info.  Doesn't seem like it is as peaceful as I imagined.

Hi Nomad Lawyer, Thank you for the reply.  When I say comfortably I desire climate and affordable living.  At this time, I have only my social security income, which here in the states is becoming more and more challenging.

The cost of living here is not really lower than in many places in the Usa.
As for peaceful, this happened a couple of days ago at "my" gas station. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/05/18 … -station/Q
I am sending this from my phone because we have another blackout because of a heavy rain shower.

I live mostly off of Social Security and I thought sure I could retire in PR, live modestly in quiet and peace. However that was not the case. Everything is outrageously expensive. Electricity is absolutely sky high and they keep raising the rates. All food items, clothing and other necessities are very high because everything has to be shipped in. My favorite ice cream averaged $7.59 for a half gallon. I can get it here in Florida for anywhere between $2.97 and $3.58. Milk is $6 a gallon. I could go on and on but you get my point. The only thing that was cheap was our house rental. We got a nice 2,000 sq. ft. house for $600 a month. But our neighbors around us drove us nuts with the noise all the time. Loud music, parties, Pentacostals on the hill behind us getting on the PA system at night and screaming religous stuff for hours. The vans driving up and down the main road with loudspeakers on top blasting music and commercials. If you are fortunate enough to be well off financially you can live in an area where you can insulate yourself from some of that stuff. But the crime is very bad and getting worse seemingly by the day. If you still want to do this, there are still some places you can go to find a little of what you are looking for. But go there and take a serious visit with both eyes and ears wide open and leave any idealism at home  and give it a serious look. My attempt at living there was a disaster. But some people have different experiences and feel differently than I do. Check it out anyway, you might end up liking it, who knows.

From what I read on Amazon's website, their Amazon Prime program applies to Puerto Rico as well.  They do not guarantee that things will arrive in 2 days like in the USA but there are no shipping fees if you pay their $79 a year membership fee and they pretty much have the cheapest price on most anything you could want.  I keep reading everywhere how everything is so expensive there but if you simply order everything besides food from there, it seems like it wouldn't really be any different than in the states.   I already buy everything almost exclusively from amazon now here in the states.

I did a quick perusing of the Sams Club website and food does seem to run between 50-75% more for "fresh" food but prices on the frozen and canned stuff seems to be only about 20% more expensive.  Is there something else I am missing?

If you do go to Puerto Rico, be sure to check out Culebra before making a final decision.

Kalola - I am a retired senior who lives in Rincon (northwest coast) with my (retired) wife. I know this area and will give you info below.

Housing IS inexpensive. I have a great deal $300/month including utilities. That does not infer that you can get this deal but there are nice places for $300-$500/month. If you don't use an air conditioner electricity and water will run a total of $100 per month (I have verified this with a number of friends, water runs $15, the reminder electric).

Food IS expensive, but it depends on what you buy6 and eat. Hagendaz ice cream is $7.50 a pint ($5 in NJ). Bakery bread is $2 a loaf. Beans are $.75 a can. Eggs can be had for $1.50/dozen. Meat and Chicken are not expensive. Booze same or cheaper than in the states (Corona, Heineken, Samual Adams $9, cheaper in Sams Club). So overall it depends on what you buy - you can expect to pay about the same food bill as the states, i.e. don't move to PR because food is cheaper here.

Cars are more expensive here than in the States. Lots of people buy used cars and so did I. I researched what I wanted and bought a 2007 Totyota Yaris with 70,000 miles on it fort $7,700. It runs like a top! Used cars can be had for much less than this. The place to look is classificadoonline.com (spelling?). Gas is the similar to the States $.95/liter.

So don't come to Puerto Rico because it's "less expensive". It is not a banana republic. If you want cheap then go to Nicaragua - I am not making a joke - you could live on the coast and food IS cheap.

Now let's talk about living here on SS. I'm good friends with a guy, who lives alone, who is doing just that. He has no car; he rides a bicycle. He lives right on the beach, just step outside and there it is, beautiful. He pays a high price for a condo as he is a poet and novelist and needs a quiet, soothing environment for his work - housing is probably 50% of his SS income - things would be easier with a cheaper place but he considered the cost a price he has to pay for his work (writing). He eats cheaply. I play tennis with him on a regular basis. He is a happy man and just signed a lease for another 12 months. He is away and will be back July 10th. If you want I can put you in touch with him so you can ask questions as he is doing what you want to.

Peaceful, quiet island? Nope. Lots of noise everywhere. I relate to what was said in the other posts. I am near an evangelist church and they beat drums and scream and use a sound system. I have a neighbor down the street who plays traditional Puerto Rican music from the 60s some evenings using a load speaker on his porch (some of it is actually good). The two chiwowas next door annoy the hell out of me (they really have an attitude). For 2 weeks after new years fire crackers, cherry bombs, and ash cans were being set off constantly - it sounded like a war zone. The noise cannot be escaped and this is characteristic of PR and Latin America in general.

So why do i live here? It's warm here all year long - I don't want to spernd another winter in NJ. Yes during the Summer it is hot and humid - I don't mind - I just love the warmth, the open air (never close my louvers). I can dine outside anywhere, I enjhoy the vibrant, friendly, and warm Latin culture. I live simply here and try to own as little as possible. A big plus in Rincon is the large and diverse expat community. There's lot's of things to do here. And the beaches are great. I started to learn surfing last year (yes it's possible for a 63 year old to do that).

If you decide to check out Rincon let me know, I can show you around and introduce you to people. Again, if you wanted to talk to my friend who lives on SS contact me. Got to go now, there is surf and when there is surf during the summer one must drop everything and get out there before it goes away!!

victorglass- Don't forget the world class sunsets almost every night and whale watching in the winter. Just a couple of perks about living in Rincon that won't touch your SS check.

Gosh how could I have forgotten the sunsets. I live up a hill with an easterly view of the ocean and we have glorious sunsets. Right now a storm just passed over with sheets of water coming down and big time lightning and thunder. I like all types of weather and storms are great!

victorlglass wrote:

I live up a hill with an easterly view of the ocean and we have glorious sunsets.

I guess you mean westerly
I agree with the sunsets, they are gorgeous!

victorlglass wrote:

I like all types of weather and storms are great!

Did you experience a tropical storm or a hurricane here on the island?

Hmmmm ... what are they like? I suspect I want to avoid them.

Lot of wind, horizontal rain, trees down, lots of stuff that's not secured flies around. Floodings, blocked streets, land slides.
When all is said and done you're without power, water and phone and depending on where you are it can take up to 3 months to be restored...

We actually had a small tornado in Moca where I lived. It stopped about 50 yards from our hose. Nobody could recollect having a tornado there before. Then we had a couple of earthquakes, one of which was a 5.3 It may not sound like much but it will definitely get your attention in the middle of the night. Of course some of the caravanas during the political season sound and feel like a 5.3 sometimes. Lots and lots of beautiful days and nights in PR but they can have some very nasty weather and devastating natural disasters. But no matter where you go, there's always a trade off of some sort. I didn't see one snowflake while I was there and it never got down to 40 below zero like it did in Maine when I lived there. major adjustments both physical and mental are a part of moving anywhere. Always expect to encounter things you could never have thought of . I guess the key is to always be prepared to look at things honestly and from a different perspective when moving to PR.

I read about that tornado, it's absolutely very rare here on the island.

Earthquakes and tornadoes are more scary than hurricanes as far as I'm concerned.
When a hurricane is coming you know it one or two days in advance and you can prepare for it..

Do the airlines add additional flights, so people can leave if they like,in advance of a hurricane or are you just stuck?

800-YEH-RITE

One of my concerns is a tsunami. Mayaguez was devastated by one years ago. Didn't they also get hit pretty bad by a tornado a long time ago too?

Afterwards I thought it was kind of humorous that when we lived in Virginia , during the summer we would have tornado warnings several times a week during the summer. We were told to take cover immediately because  one was imminent. So we move to Puerto Rico and joked about how we didn't have to worry about tornadoes anymore. Then after about two months, one almost hit us.

dalupus wrote:

Do the airlines add additional flights, so people can leave if they like,in advance of a hurricane or are you just stuck?

99% of the people here ride it out at home.

GreggK wrote:

One of my concerns is a tsunami. Mayaguez was devastated by one years ago. Didn't they also get hit pretty bad by a tornado a long time ago too?

The tsunami in Mayaguez was almost 100 years ago after a strong earthquake. A strong earthquake would be a nightmare.

There was a tornado in Mayaguez a couple of years ago as far as I remember.

yes 104 years ago. Rincon is due for a cataclysmic event 4 years ago, or not. living on or near the beach at sea level is an iffy proposition. before the gringos came people (other than fishermen) did not prefer to live on the ocean because it was dangerous. we live on a hill high enough to survive a tsunami. but when life is great everything seems like it will continue like that for ever.

It sounds like you would be more comfortable in a gated community than out in a neighborhood or the campo. I would highly recommend an extended stay before you move so you could explore and experience different parts of the island. PR has everything from desert to rain forest so there are many choices to consider. Go the the Air bnb site and look up PR. You will find many rooms and small apartments for rent at very reasonable prices and you should be able to book around the areas you want to explore. We find PR about the same cost as the states except that food costs more. A good garden can cut your food prices way down. Be prepared for a less than reliable electrical grid and poor services like plumbing and electrical. People are hurting in PR now and housing prices are low. However, Gringo Fever is alive and well and prices tend to jump whenever an American is involved. Don't be afraid to offer 30% less than asking price. We got our house for about 25% under asking. Plan on shipping furniture, good furniture is hard to find on the island even at premium prices. Cars are about 10% more expensive because of shipping costs so consider shipping yours if you have a good one. Electrical prices are terrible on the island. We run a three bedroom house with and apt we rent and a pool. Our bill is around 400.00 a month. Make sure the town you settle on has lots of water. Water shortages are common in PR. Even with all these issues it is a great place to live but not for everyone. I would stay away from the ocean and get into the hills. In PR they give the poor ocean front property because the locals know the inherent problems with hurricanes and humidity. But...thats why you should come down for a few weeks and check things out. Consider it a cheap education!