# What about Puerto Rico



## Meritorious-MasoMenos (Apr 17, 2014)

I've put off my departure from Thailand for either U.S. or Mexico (depends on my ornery daughter).

But I suddenly found a site on American expats in Puerto Rico.

The big, big factor is that Medicare and Medicare Plus operate there, and of course, ne need for any immigration efforts don't know about our Canadian cousins).

Main drawback is most comparisons saying San Juan only 20% cheaper than mainland cities, though renting prices 40% or more cheaper.

Gotta be cheaper in smaller cities and even cheaper in rural areas. Expats rave about its beauty and beaches.

Not for those hating humidity. I was one but learned how to live with it here in Thai beach town (Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in mid-day sun).

If the costs are indeed doable, what other negative factors are there? Expats there complain mainly only educated speak English, but no problem for me.

Any info/advice appreciated. Thanks.


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## Stevenjb (Dec 10, 2017)

Guam might be a good option, also  Gotta, support those U.S. territory's


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## Orfin (Sep 26, 2016)

I never thought Puerto Rico was cheap compared to US cities. 
But then i don’t do my comparison to California cities or New York city.
Californians and NewYork city people are the ones conditioned to high rent prices, then coming to Mexico and making or easily accepting rent prices that go higher than average prices in many US cities. 
I guess it depends on what you rent and where you rent in Mexico, but calling Puerto Rico more affrdable rent is also dependent on what and where you are used to renting on mainland USA.

People from Ohio and sweepng down and through to Arkansa and Oklahoma region of USA, have a very different sense of what cheaper rent is, when compared to people in California or NewYork city area.
Puerto Rico has the “Island effect” which tends to make things more expensive and also make social problem tensions become tighter for locals there.
Did 10 years in Hawaii to know first hand and i read the stats for Puerto Rico and Jamaica to see that they have similar Island effect trends for social problems. Hawaii of course more expensive in such a tiny space with not enough jobs to pay everyne enough to live there. Lot of crime and living homeless or in 3rd world conditions in Hawaii, just because of the Island effect. And Hawaii has the status of being a full fledged state in USA.

Probably still nowhere near as problematic as Mexico can be in many areas. Mexico is the place with the real reputation for problems, yet i choose to be in Mexico over Hawaii, Puerto Rico or Jamaica.
3rd consecutive winter in Mexico now, 6 months each time, and i am yet to witness as much agression and crime randomly about the small town, as i did in Hawaii. Hawaii was a daily basis of all kinds of stuff that mostly revolved around hard drug addictions. 
I don’t really see that in Mexico. Maybe a few times in a few years.


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## lat19n (Aug 19, 2017)

Excellent post Orfin.

I've been to PR a hand full of times. I went to school (college) on St Croix - for a spell. My wife and I were married there. St Croix is paradise. PR not so much - but it is still better than Weehawken NJ (say) . There is a reason why some of America's wealthiest families have digs on St Croix.

It takes a certain mentality to be comfortable living on an island. I was lucky because I had a friend with a pilots license and we often pooled our monies to rent small planes for get-aways. I also had access to several boats. I had access to a US government commissary for stuff. Beer (Heineken) was cheaper than water.

When I was there there was a bit of racial tension - unlike anything I have ever experienced in Mexico. I was literally instructed in what and what not to say to people. We were told to great people with "Haile Selassie" (you can google that).

I would go anywhere in the daylight. Not so much at night AND I would NEVER go to a pubic beach on a weekend.

Times change.


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