Americans that have moved to Puerto Rico, what's it like and would recommend it?
Americans that have moved to Puerto Rico, what's it like and would recommend it?
Looking for the perspective of anyone that has lived anywhere in the USA and moved to Puerto Rico. What's it like, what's different, what's nicer, what was unexpected, and would you recommend the move?
Puerto Rico is part of the United States.
Someone born in PR can move anywhere else in the USA without a passport. Any US citizen can travel there as easily as going to another State.
It's just that PR, like Washington DC, is not considered a state, so they can't vote in Federal elections.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_voting_rights_in_Puerto_Rico
So people who live in Washington DC can vote for President. D.C. has 3 electoral college votes. Puerto Rico does not have any electoral votes. (They do hold primaries that also don't seem to really count).
DC does lack full voting representation in Congress just like US territories (e.x. Puerto Rico, Samoa, Guam). I do think their delegate can vote on some things in congress, I don't remember the details of what, but it's definitely not a full congressional vote.
I had a friend move there a little after COVID because he was learning Spanish and his job permitted remote work. He's a naive Missouri boy, makes decent wage, and makes for a perfect mark. Yet, the people were very kind to him, a landlady kept an eye on him and he enjoyed it a lot. It helps that he got to live in a fairly affluent neighborhood, though, and certainly aims to make mainlanders comfortable.
His main complaints were mostly comfort-- boy didn't comprehend how bad plumbing was there and his giant Missourian shits did not jive well with dated plumbing. It's typical complaints of anyone living outside their upbringing, though.
I don't think he could have made it if his company didn't illegally force him back to the US, though (they cited taxes, but they signed a contract and just guilted his easily conned ass). I have a native PR friend who survived Maria and the grit to do that, I don't see many Americans able to handle 6 months without power.
The thought crossed my mind as well as "what if I did something crazy and sold everything and moved as far away as I could without the logistical challenges of changing countries" and who knows, maybe I'll seriously consider doing that once my grandparents pass away. There's bound to be someone looking to hire an IT person in Puerto Rico for a year or two. On the other hand I'm sure there's a lot more heat and sun to deal with which I'm not a huge fan of...so Alaska maybe?
I'd also recommend being close, if not fully, fluent in Spanish.
If not fluent, yes you'll have a hard time. I've been there and outside of the tourist areas, people either can't or won't speak English.
I do recommend the USVI if the language barrier is a problem.
Why not change countries? I think about doing so all of the time because fuck the USA. Goddamn shithole country. But I, too, have million reasons not to. -_-
In short, money. My career is taking off and I might be in a difficult place to match my current income in the EU for example. When I've looked at listings for jobs similar to and a step above where I'm at and adjusted the income for the exchange rate it would be half or even less than I could expect to make in the States. It's not a good place to live if you're poor, but it's a great place to live if you're in the upper-middle class which my current career trajectory might well put us into by the end of the decade.
If there's a sudden boom in prison construction in the next few years I'll reconsider of course
Guam?
The US is a shit hole and PR has no support from the mainland while also having to be an island in hurricane Alley. It's not worth it. Worth the hassle to move some place with better labor protections and healthcare. Puerto Rico is beautiful but it's all the worst parts of the US with very little benefit.
In my late night brain-to-keyboard dumping I forgot to specify it would be for a couple of years that I'd want to live somewhere like Puerto Rico or Alaska so that I can have that experience under my belt. It's a thought that's danced around my brain for a while as a "what if"
I hope you get a decent answer. When we last visited 10 years ago a similar idea passed our minds.
I did some poking around at the time out of curiosity. From what I recall, a decent amount of manufacturing moved there in the 70s to claim made in America, take advantage of cheaper labor, and take advantage of some tax incentives. The incentives were phased out and manufacturing started leaving. Wikipedia .
I am not sure what their economy is like these days, but as with all moves a chunk of it is going to come down to the work you can/want to do and the jobs available, but with remote work living somewhere like Puerto Rico does seem appealing.
I suspect you're going to have the usual island pain points (hurricanes, expensive imports, limited economy, a large swath of the economy tied to tourism) and benefits (consistent weather year round, natural beauty which PR has a ton of, beaches, interesting culture).
Again, I really hope someone with first hand experience chimes in - even if the moved in the other direction from the island to the mainland.
Thanks! That's what I'm hoping for. My situation is that my income will be fine, just gotta figure out where to go. I like warm weather, Caribbean Latino Culture, beaches, mountains, communities, and having an airport to catch flights. I'm thinking a ruralish area in PR might be it. The Internet also says it has a pretty low cost of living.
I spent a week there. We stayed with my girlfriends grandfather, in a gated community in Bayonne. He had to keep a huge garbage can full of water in the shower because the power was constantly going out, also it was unbelievably hot despite being late October, there were ants all.over everything and the gas/electric were obscenely expensive. It's beautiful. The people were nice. The food was amazing and I've never had a better cup of coffee. But live there? Nah.
We had a project manager contractor for a year who lived there, having moved from the bay area during early covid days. She seemed to like it, no state taxes, cheaper real estate, she and her husband had little kids.
little kids
If the kids are truly little this would be an OK move from the US. However, schools in Puerto Rico teach in Spanish which would be a struggle for kids who are not fluent.
Follow-up question: You guys still dealing with the Chupacabra?
No, but I heard bochinche (gossip) about a mamapinga in the Capitolio