Puerto Rico
The Caribbean without a passport for Americans: a walled colonial city, rainforest and surf.
Flat. The currency is your own; local prices rose +2.9%.
- Lean
- $83
- Comfort
- $414
Ranked 82 of 123.
The short answerIn US dollars, as of November 12, 2026
Puerto Rico: costs for US-dollar travelers are about the same as a year ago in real terms (+0.6%). A mid-range day costs about $186 per person, excluding international flights. As US territory it has no State Department advisory, so a baseline Level 1 is used. It ranks 82 of 123 on the Trip Arbitrage Index, with a score of 54 out of 100.
What your money buys there
30 monthsThe dashed line is what a currency converter shows. The solid line is the same thing after prices in both countries are taken into account. When they part, the solid one is telling the truth.
How the score is built
- Dislocation ×0.36
- 53
- Price floor ×0.30
- 10
- Safety ×0.20
- 100
- Ease ×0.14
- 85
Real price drop vs last year and vs the five-year norm
How low the daily cost is in absolute terms
From the current travel advisory
How well set up the country is for visitors
The full reading
| Real change, 3 months | +0.1% | Is the move still going, or already reversing? |
|---|---|---|
| Real change, 12 months | +0.6% | The headline: what your money buys versus a year ago. |
| Exchange rate alone, 12 months | 0.0% | What a currency converter would tell you. |
| Local inflation, 12 months | +2.9% | How much of that the destination's own prices took back. |
| Versus five-year average | +3.2% | Cheap or dear against its own recent history. |
| Advisory | Level 1 | Normal precautions |
| Ease of travel | 4.4 / 5 | Well set up |
- Old San Juan
- El Yunque rainforest
- Vieques and Culebra by ferry
It is priced like the mainland US, a rental car is needed outside San Juan, and hurricane season runs June to November.
Puerto Rico uses the US dollar.
When to go
November is shoulder season- Janpeak season
- Febpeak season
- Marpeak season
- Aprpeak season
- Mayshoulder season
- Junshoulder season
- Juloff season
- Augoff season
- Sepoff season
- Octoff season
- Novshoulder season
- Decpeak season
Safety and ease
- US State Department
- Level 1: Normal precautions
- Advisories are often regional. A country-wide level can hide both safe areas and no-go zones, and other governments may judge differently.
- Tourism infrastructure
- Well set up · 4.4 / 5
Cities in Puerto Rico
- San Juan$205a day
Head to head
- Puerto Rico vs Barbados$216a day there
- Puerto Rico vs St. Lucia$197a day there
- Puerto Rico vs Jamaica$149a day there
Booking a trip: Puerto Rico
Partner links- FlightsKiwi.com ↗Compare fares across airlines, including the low-cost carriers that booking sites often leave out.
- Places to stayBooking.com ↗Hotels, guesthouses and apartments, most with free cancellation.
- Travel medical insuranceSafetyWing ↗Covers emergencies abroad; can be bought after you have already left home.
- Tours and ticketsGetYourGuide ↗Day trips, guides and entry tickets, bookable ahead with free cancellation on most.
These go to outside companies we think are useful for this trip. Nothing here affects a score or a ranking. How we make money
Puerto Rico, in five questions
Answers are generated from the index reading of November 12, 2026, in US dollars. To cite: “Trip Arbitrage (triparbitrage.com), reading of November 12, 2026.”
- How much does it cost per day to travel in Puerto Rico?
- As of November 12, 2026, a day in Puerto Rico costs about $83 on a lean budget, $186 mid-range and $414 in comfort, per person, excluding international flights. These are modeled estimates, updated daily for local inflation and the exchange rate.
- Is Puerto Rico cheaper to visit than a year ago?
- It is about the same. Over the past 12 months the exchange rate moved 0.0% for US-dollar holders while prices in Puerto Rico rose +2.9%, a net real change of +0.6% in purchasing power. Against its own five-year average, Puerto Rico is 3.2% cheaper.
- Is Puerto Rico safe to travel to right now?
- The US State Department does not issue an advisory for the United States or its territories; this index uses a baseline Level 1. It is priced like the mainland US, a rental car is needed outside San Juan, and hurricane season runs June to November. Advisories are often regional and other governments may differ, so read the full advisory before booking.
- When is the cheapest time to visit Puerto Rico?
- The shoulder months, when the weather is workable and prices ease, are: May, June, November. The best conditions, and the highest prices, come in: December, January, February, March, April. Right now (November) is shoulder season.
- How easy is Puerto Rico to travel around?
- Puerto Rico scores 4.4 out of 5 for ease of travel (well set up), a measure of transport, lodging, payments, wayfinding and access to healthcare. The Caribbean without a passport for Americans: a walled colonial city, rainforest and surf.
Elsewhere in Latin America & Caribbean
- Mexico
- Guatemala
- Nicaragua
- El Salvador
- Costa Rica
- Panama
- Dominican Republic
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Peru
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
- Argentina
- Chile
- Jamaica
- Belize
- Honduras
- Cuba
- Haiti
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Dominica
- Grenada
- St. Kitts & Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent & the Grenadines
- Guyana
- Suriname
- Venezuela
- Aruba
- Curaçao
- Sint Maarten
- Cayman Islands
- Turks & Caicos
- US Virgin Islands
- British Virgin Islands
- Guadeloupe
- Martinique
Reading of November 12, 2026. In US dollars, Puerto Rico reads +0.6% over twelve months in real terms with a mid-range day near $186. Costs are modeled, not quoted: see the method.