Worcester, MA vs San Juan, PR
Moving from Worcester to San Juan? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($482,611 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
Worcester 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 Worcester, MA, you'd need about $97,104 in San Juan, PR (−$2,896).
Livability — Worcester, MA: 56 · San Juan, PR: 56 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,761 sqft in Worcester vs 2,500 sqft in San Juan ($284 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Worcester, MA | San Juan, PR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,184 | $18,000 | −$8,184 |
| Groceries | $4,938 | $5,000 | +$62 |
| Transportation | $3,210 | $2,960 | −$250 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,728 | −$1,452 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,200 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $16,011 | $37,720 | +$21,710 |
| Total | $55,322 | $66,608 | +$11,286 |
Side by side
| Metric | Worcester, MA | San Juan, PR |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 103.0 | 100.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.78% | 13.00% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.3% | -5.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 49 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.86 | $5.69 |
| Median home price | $482,611 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 13.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.8% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $284 | $200 |
| Median rent | $2,182 | $1,500 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.5% | 11.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 11.50% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.00% | 33.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.39% | 0.52% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $8,200 | $5,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $21,000 | $6,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.25% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 29 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,200 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $1,300 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 16.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.40 |
| Violent crime /100k | 330 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 88 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 72 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 2 |