Rochester, NY vs San Juan, PR
Moving from Rochester to San Juan? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($285,034 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
Rochester 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 Rochester, NY, you'd need about $101,637 in San Juan, PR (+$1,637).
Livability — Rochester, NY: 59 · San Juan, PR: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,807 sqft in Rochester vs 2,500 sqft in San Juan ($178 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rochester, NY | San Juan, PR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,164 | $18,000 | −$1,164 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $5,000 | +$132 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $2,960 | −$935 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,728 | −$1,452 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,200 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $18,722 | $37,720 | +$18,998 |
| Total | $51,429 | $66,608 | +$15,179 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rochester, NY | San Juan, PR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.4 | 100.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.01% | 13.00% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.6% | -5.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 39 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.60 | $5.69 |
| Median home price | $285,034 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 13.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.7% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $178 | $200 |
| Median rent | $1,597 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 11.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 11.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 33.00% |
| Property tax rate | 2.76% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $5,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $6,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $1,300 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 16.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 72 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |