Making it on a budget in PR page 3 - Puerto Rico forum

ReyP · 2016-02-15T16:55:30+01:00

One of the biggest worries of moving to the island is the amount of money that people will need to live on. A lot of your expenses is going to depend on you and the life style you seek. If you are frugal and you live more like the locals you will need less, if you want to follow the life style of the states with 60 inch TV, 500 tv channels, a pool side boy, massages and nails done daily you will spend more than in the states. For most of you, here are the items that on average will tend to eat on your budget: 1) Beach front property - While it may be cheap relatively speaking due to all the people selling and moving out of the island, it is still a lot more than a house or apartment further inland. Being able to use a bicycle or car and living 10 -15 minutes from your favorite beach will save you a LOT of money. Interest mortgage rate is likely to be a little higher in the island than state side so try to get the best deal if you are looking for a mortgage. 2) Electricity - This can be a major expense. Since we have so much sunlight in the island you should be able to limit its use, open the windows, turn off lights, use LED instead of incandescent. Find energy efficient Air Conditioner and use them when you go to sleep, not during the day, a fan may do at night instead of air conditioner. Make a habit of turning off lights as you leave a room. On average expect to pay twice what you pay during summer months in the states and with care you may end up paying less than that. If you can use a gas stove instead of electric a propane gas bottle will cost you a lot less than electricity. 3) Food - Since most of the food is imported, a lot of food items specially beef is likely to cost you more. Cook at home, buy more chicken. Make stuff at home, prepared foods will be more expensive. Cook more, eat out less. Rice and Beans are staples in the island, learn to love it, they are relatively cheap. Milk is outrageous, buy little of it if you can. Get fruits and vegetables from the people around you, street vendors and farmer markets. If you are growing stuff at your place, trade instead of buying. Make sandwiches or some fried chicken when you go on an outing and bring a cooler with sodas or juice, this will limit eating at the kiosks which can be expensive over time. A lot of people in the island live on about $1,000 a month, It is not likely that you will be able to consistently live on so little as you are not a native with decades of practices. But you should be able to make it on about $2,000 a month with little trouble. Obviously if you are renting a condo in Condado at over 2,000 a month, your budget will not go very far. Live smart, do you really NEED all the luxury? if not cut it off. There is a big difference between NEED and WANT. Feel free to ask questions Those with experience of living in the island and those currently living in the island, please post here what your budget is and how you were able to accomplish it. The closer or lower from the 2K line the better. your posting will help others considering a move to the island, so please help out. If your budget is way over 2,500, please let people know what is causing you to spend over that. Thanks Rey

Making it on a budget in PR

Post new topic

Sitka Serial expat

Member since 07 October 2015

SitkaSerial expat07 March 2016 21:35:48

#81

953

Liberty provided the hardware, cable box and modem & router.聽 didn't check the upload speed yet, maybe tonight.聽

The proof will be in the pudding - will the service be reliable, or will it crap out again??聽 So far so good today.聽 I just wish we got FOX news here, only CNN is available.

Carlos when in RD Contributor

Member since 24 May 2014

Carlos when in RDContributor07 March 2016 21:58:04

#82

101

Anybody in PR that can maintain these (Sitka's) speeds is massively beating the awful stuff I've been reading, and doing very respectibly compared to stateside.聽 From a corporate standpoint, Liberty would seem to be the the odds on fav to be upgrading the most rapidly in PR.聽 Thx so much for the tests Sitka and ur experience is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Karl

Sitka Serial expat

Member since 07 October 2015

SitkaSerial expat08 March 2016 01:13:47

#83

953

Well...lets just say that I'm hopeful that it remains on - I'll keep you posted.

Carlos when in RD Contributor

Member since 24 May 2014

Carlos when in RDContributor08 March 2016 04:48:29

#84

101

Yes please do keep us all posted.聽 After trouble, then "get it right", whether or not Liberty can deliver service to you may just be a bellweather.聽 Reading the bigger corporate stories, and that a new ocean cable to Florida came online, Liberty providing better service and prices getting more competitive was what the big story pointed to.聽 So yeah, keep us posted. thx

dafa Active member

Member since 22 July 2014

dafaActive member08 March 2016 10:04:06

#85

We started with Choice Cable last year which has now been bought out by Liberty.聽 We're on a 20 MB plan and our download is 19 MB and upload speed is .77 MB.聽 We pay $42.16 a month including the taxes.聽 Except for when we had a family of 5 visiting us with 3 teenagers (with a phone and tablet each), the speed has been more than sufficient for us.聽 We stream and I teleconference often for work.聽

Going back to the conversation about putting fun in your budget - Gustazos - is similar to Groupon.聽 Each day they email out specials.聽 Last week we went on an in Utuado for $29 each.

Carlos when in RD Contributor

Member since 24 May 2014

Carlos when in RDContributor08 March 2016 16:26:33

#86

101

Thank you Dafa.聽 @42 bucks a month for 20MB service and reliably getting what u are paying for, this continues the story on Liberty. Larger int'l corporate entity buying into PR market and in process of better service, competitive cost.聽 Your info continues to support the theory.聽 And $42 for 20MB is competitive, not paying big, gov't cronies take a slice of the pie prices for reliable mid-level service. Thank you for the input.

ReyP ViP

Member since 09 May 2015

ReyPViP08 March 2016 17:11:50

#87

5509

The plans I see for Liberty Internet only service seem to be for 10 Meg (39.99), 40 Meg for 59.99, and the next one is 79.99 for 70 Meg, goes up from there.

Note that Liberty may not be available in your community, building or particular part of the street. Note that some of these prices may be for a period of time and then they may go up 10 bucks or so a month after that period.

trekrider520 Serial expat

Member since 26 December 2013

trekrider520Serial expat08 March 2016 17:17:56

#88

257

In our neighborhood, Liberty is the only authorized provider. We pay for 40 MBPS but lucky if we get between 15-20. Like Rey said - it's highly variable from community to community and even house to house.

Carlos when in RD Contributor

Member since 24 May 2014

Carlos when in RDContributor08 March 2016 17:55:15

#89

101

Maybe a shotgun hanging on the wall when the installer comes might help?聽

dafa Active member

Member since 22 July 2014

dafaActive member08 March 2016 17:59:32

#90

We must be grandfathered in with the price we got from ChoiceCable last year.聽 Sorry to mislead anyone.

ReyP ViP

Member since 09 May 2015

ReyPViP08 March 2016 19:35:18

#91

5509

Carlos when in RD wrote:
Maybe a shotgun hanging on the wall when the installer comes might help?聽

Greet him with shotgun under the arm and I bet he will get brand new equipment for you.

Articles to help you in your expat project in Puerto Rico

Renting in Puerto Rico
Visiting the island many times over the years and getting to know the towns and different areas before making a ...
5 misconceptions about Puerto Rico
Playa del Condado, Puerto Rico
Purchasing property in Puerto Rico
Six yeas ago we purchased our home in Naguabo Puerto Rico (PR) in the barrio of El Duce. Some of the lessons we ...
A land of opportunity and freedom.
The day we decided to move we were a little worry about how expensive it would be. Now we know how affordable it ...
Paying Taxes in Puerto Rico
Paying Taxes in Puerto Rico
About Work VISA
I am writing this guide to assist people understand how a work VISA is done.
Social Security Number for Expats
Ok, have a social security number is your first step to receive your salary and start you financial live on the ...
Why realtors may not call you back
There are many reasons and probably more that I can list, but I will try to cover the most common ones. Remember, ...