United States

Resources

City Guides

More Resources

Search Join Sign In

Living in United States >

An Expat Talks about Living in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico

May 23, 2016

Submitted by Talltom

Participate in the Dream vs. Reality Report

An expat shares a brief report about his expectations going into a move to Puerto Rico, and the realities that actually awaited him there.

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Describe how you "dreamed" expat life would be before you moved overseas. Please provide as much detail as possible.

I dreamed of swimming in warm water, meeting friendly people, and living cheaply. I was motivated to move by very promising tax incentives being offered by Puerto Rico.

How has your expat experience met the expectations you dreamed about before you moved abroad?

My above expectations above have been generally met except it is more expensive than I expected (85% of all food/goods are imported, primarily from U.S.).

Puerto Ricans consider themselves much more their own country than a U.S. state so don't expect this to be like any state you have ever visited but much more like Mexico (except without the cheap prices).

Expats living in United States interested in expat health insurance should take a minute to get a quote from our trusted expat health insurance partner, CIGNA. Get a Quote

Expats living in United States interested in expat health insurance should take a minute to get a quote from our trusted expat health insurance partner, CIGNA.

How has your expat experience NOT met the expectations you dreamed about before you moved abroad?

I have tried to help the community by volunteering and find the locals generally not open to new ideas unless it is their own.

Puerto Rico is poorly run. Most locals want an external financial review board to take over the running of the island as they have completely lost faith in the existing government. I would agree.

Get FREE quotes from up to 6 international movers from The Relocator. Save up to 50% on your move to United States! The Relocator offers an easy and free service to receive quotes from renowned and certified movers worldwide. Get your moving quotes.

Expatriate Health Insurance

Get a quote for expat health insurance in United States from our partner, Cigna Global Health.
Get a Quote

Healthcare in United States

Expats in the United States have to navigate one of the most expensive health systems in the world. However, when properly navigated, the quality of care is excellent when compared to the rest of the world.

Join our United States Expat Forum

Visit our United States Forum and talk with other expats who can offer you insight and tips about living in San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States.

More about United States

2020 Expat Exchange Survey

If you've lived abroad within the last 3 years, please share your insights in our 2020 Expat Exchange Survey. You'll be entered to win (1 of 10) $50 Amazon giftcards. We need YOUR input... Take the Survey Now!

Healthcare in the US

Cost of Living in New York City

New York City is one of the most "international" cities in the world, but expats there also contend with one of the most expensive costs of living at the same time. Here's what you need to know to get a general idea of what those costs are.

International Schools in NYC

Expats living in NYC have many international and bilingual school choices -- international schools, bilingual schools, language immersion schools, IB World schools, British Schools and more. Here's a list of the most well-known international schools in NYC.

French Schools in New York

Are you a Francophone moving to NYC? This article offers an extensive list of French schools in NYC with addresses, maps and accreditation information from the French Consulate General. The list covers all ages ranges from French nursery schools through French high schools in New York City. In addition to private French schools in the NYC area, this article covers all of the NYC public schools with French dual language programs (DLP) and several well-known French schools in suburban New York and New Jersey.

Write a Comment about this Expat Report

Comments about this Report

dliss62

May 24, 2016 17:25

I lived in PR for 3 years and was happy to leave! Hardly anything works right and it is a nightmare trying to get normal things (ie; driver license, repairs, doctor, ect) done. PR is a happy place with plenty of partying and terrific If you are going on vacation, but living there is another story. people are very nationalistic and take great pride of their "country", but do not take pride in doing things properly and this is very frustrating to foreigners. I'd rather live in other Latin American countries where the cost of living is much cheaper. No surprise why PR is currently in such a big mess!

d2snow

Mar 8, 2017 18:02

I lived in PR for several years when my parents moved there. Couldn't wait to leave! As someone else stated, getting things done is a nightmare - corruption is rampant. Paying elec/phone, etc. via checks is not common as they misplace all your payments. Cust. Svc. is non-existent; lots of shady characters who want to scam you at every turn because you're a gringo (and I speak fluent Spanish!) Lots of poverty in the more rural areas. Sad.