Lancaster, PA vs San Juan, PR
Moving from Lancaster to San Juan? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($388,207 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
Lancaster vs San Juan at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Lancaster, PA, you'd need about $103,355 in San Juan, PR (+$3,355).
Livability — Lancaster, PA: 64 · San Juan, PR: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,254 sqft in Lancaster vs 2,500 sqft in San Juan ($222 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Lancaster, PA | San Juan, PR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,312 | $18,000 | −$312 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $5,000 | +$85 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $2,960 | −$480 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,728 | −$588 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,200 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $9,202 | $37,720 | +$28,518 |
| Total | $39,385 | $66,608 | +$27,223 |
Side by side
| Metric | Lancaster, PA | San Juan, PR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 96.8 | 100.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.38% | 13.00% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.1% | -5.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 50 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.51 | $5.69 |
| Median home price | $388,207 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.8× | 13.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.6% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $222 | $200 |
| Median rent | $1,526 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 11.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 11.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | 33.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.48% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $5,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $6,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $1,300 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 16.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 72 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |