Cost of living comparison

 Puerto Rico
compared to
 Washington (DC), United States
Washington vs. Puerto Rico Cost of Living Summary

Washington is 2.1 times more expensive than Puerto Rico overall.

Restaurants
pay 56.2% more in Washington
Groceries
pay 25.3% more in Washington
Transportation
pay 19.7% more in Washington
Housing
pay 2.2 times more in Washington
Childcare
pay 4.7 times more in Washington
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.2 times more in Washington
Clothing
pay 54.0% more in Washington

The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, clothing, and groceries in Washington are more expensive than in Puerto Rico. Notably, childcare, entertainment and sports, and housing are significantly more expensive in Washington.

Washington vs. Puerto Rico Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Washington instead of Puerto Rico, you would:

pay 56.2% more for restaurants

 
Puerto Rico
Washington
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $15.81
 
$25.00
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$9.53
 
$12.00
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.60
 
$2.78
 

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pay 25.3% more for groceries

 
Puerto Rico
Washington
Bread
1 loaf
$3.14
 
$4.34
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.23
 
$7.84
 
Milk (1 gallon) $7.64
 
$4.14
 

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pay 19.7% more for transportation

 
Puerto Rico
Washington
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.74
 
$3.66
 
Monthly public transit pass $49.80
 
$75.00
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $31,875.00
 
$35,699.74
 

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pay 2.2 times more for housing

 
Puerto Rico
Washington
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$59.13
 
$66.46
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $830.95
 
$2,582.95
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $536.89
 
$2,028.70
 

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pay 4.7 times more for childcare

 
Puerto Rico
Washington
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $421.25
 
$2,273.25
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $9,550.00
 
$38,250.00
 

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pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Puerto Rico
Washington
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.72
 
$8.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.36
 
$5.55
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$10.94
 
$11.75
 

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pay 54.0% more for clothing

 
Puerto Rico
Washington
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$40.66
 
$74.13
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$46.06
 
$50.77
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$77.78
 
$105.47
 

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025
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See the cost of living in Puerto Rico vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Puerto Rico and United States.

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