Guida del Paese Vivere in Porto Rico come Espatriato
1,054 attività in 1 città, selezionate dalla comunità espatriata
Why people move to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is a United States territory, and that single fact shapes almost everything about moving there. US citizens need no visa and no work permit, the currency is the dollar, the postal service is USPS, and a mainland driving licence and phone plan keep working. What changes is the language, the pace and the cost of everything that arrives by ship.
Santurce is the part of San Juan people mean when they say the city has changed. It is dense and walkable in a way little of the island is, with galleries and restaurants along Calle Loíza and Calle Cerra, and long-standing residential blocks either side of them. Rents there have risen faster than local wages, which is the source of most of the friction between newcomers and the neighbourhoods they move into.
The practical drawbacks are well documented and worth taking seriously: the electrical grid still fails, hurricane season runs June to November, and imported goods carry a premium. Against that, you get the Caribbean, a direct flight to the east coast and no immigration paperwork at all.
Città per espatriati in Porto Rico
Domande frequenti sulla vita in Porto Rico
Do I need a visa to live in Puerto Rico? +
Not if you are a US citizen. Puerto Rico is a US territory, so citizens can move, live and work there with no visa and no work permit, and can vote in federal primaries but not in presidential elections while resident. Everyone else needs the same US visa or green card they would need for any state, and that is decided by US immigration rather than by the island.
What are the Act 60 tax incentives? +
Act 60 bundles the former Acts 20 and 22 and can reduce tax sharply on eligible export services income and on capital gains accrued after you become a resident. It is not automatic: it requires a decree, annual filings, a donation to a local charity, buying property within a set period, and genuine residency, and the bona fide residence tests are strict. Anyone considering it should take advice from a Puerto Rico tax professional before moving, not after.
How much does it cost to live in Santurce? +
Less than San Francisco or New York, more than most of the mainland south. Rent in the parts of Santurce that attract newcomers is the largest cost, and groceries, cars and electricity all cost more than they would stateside because almost everything is shipped in. Electricity in particular is expensive and, for people who buy a generator or solar with batteries, that is an upfront cost to plan for.
Is healthcare good in Puerto Rico? +
San Juan has the best hospitals on the island, including specialists, and doctors are US-licensed. Medicare and most US insurance work, though provider networks are thinner than on the mainland and many doctors have left for better-paid mainland jobs, so waits for some specialists are long. Complex or elective procedures are often scheduled on a trip to Florida.
Do I need to speak Spanish? +
You can get by in English in San Juan, in tourism and in most professional settings, and both languages are official. Outside that, daily life runs in Spanish: government offices, contractors, neighbours and paperwork. People who learn the language are treated very differently from those who do not, and in a place with real tension about newcomers, that matters more than convenience.
