💰 My Puerto Rico Trip Cost: Budget Breakdown (2025)

💰 Trip Cost	Expensive
💵 Typical Budget	$80-$200/day
🍀 My Budget	$182/day
✈️ Trip Total	$727
🗓️ Trip Length	4 days

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Is Puerto Rico Affordable To Travel To?

Puerto Rico is an expensive destination worldwide and semi-expensive for a Caribbean island.

• The island relies on imported goods, driving costs up.
• There’s no public transportation, so you need to rent a car to get around.
• Accommodation costs are expensive due to high demand.

For comparison, here’s my daily budget for destinations in North America:

Destination	My Budget
🇺🇸 Hawaii	$209
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico	$182

See all my daily budgets.

About My Trip

To give context to the expenses below, here’s what you need to know about my trip:

• I spent four days in Puerto Rico, visiting San Juan, El Yunque and Vieques.
• My trip was in February, during the high season, when things are more expensive.
• I traveled with three other people, which allowed us to split costs like housing.
• I’m a mid-range budget traveler. I don’t aim to travel on a budget, but I’m intentional about my spending.
• I finance my trips and don’t receive sponsorship.
• All expenses are per person and in US dollars, converted from the Costa Rican Colón.

Since Puerto Rico is part of the United States, the island’s local currency is the USD.

Planning a trip? Here’s what to know about Puerto Rico.

Total Cost

• $1,077
• $727
• $182

A mid-range budget traveler can expect to spend about $200 per day in Puerto Rico. This budget generally means:

• Staying at accommodations that cost less than $100 per night
• Eating at $ to $$ restaurants that cost about $30 per day
• Renting a standard car
• Booking group tours for top attractions and activities

Budget Breakdown

Here’s a breakdown of my expenses by travel category:

Category	Cost	% of Total	Daily Budget
✈️ Flights	$350	32%	–
🏠 Accommodation	$318	30%	$80
🍛 Food	$239	22%	$60
🚗 Transportation	$96	9%	$24
⭐ Entertainment	$74	7%	$19
Total	$1,077	100%	$182

Flight Cost

• $350 (from the east coast of the US to Puerto Rico’s San Juan International Airport)

A round-trip flight between the US and Puerto Rico Rica costing under $150 is considered cheap, as international flights typically cost over $200.

Accommodation Cost

• $318
• $80

The accommodations I stayed at:

Accommodation	Total Cost	Cost/Night
Airbnb in Condoda, San Juan	$63	$63
Airbnb in Miramar, San Juan	$67	$67
Airbnb in Vieques	$188	$94

My accommodation budgeting tips:

• Stay outside of the capital – For the cheapest housing options, stay in a budget hotel outside Puerto Rico’s capital city, San Juan. You can stay in a dorm-style hostel in San Juan for about $35 a night.
• Know that this will be your biggest expense – Due to high demand on an island with limited space, accommodations are expensive. So when budgeting for your Puerto Rico trip, take that into consideration.

Food Cost

• $239
• $60

My most affordable meals:

Meal	Location	Cost
Mofongo (traditional dish) and appetizers	La Parilla (Luquillo)	$17
Chimichurri skirt steak	Deaverdura (San Juan)	$22
Arroz con gandules (traditional dish)	Casa Nativo (Vieques)	$24

My most expensive meals:

Meal	Location	Cost
Seafood main dish and appetizers	Restaurant closed down (San Juan)	$63
Lobster lunch	Bili (Vieques)	$43
Multi-course tofu set	El Axolote (San Juan)	$25

My food budgeting tips:

• Eat at local markets and food trucks – Eat street food at local markets and food trucks, and buy fresh produce when you can, as that will be cheaper than eating out or even shopping at grocery stores. If you take a Puerto Rico road trip, you’ll pass by several fruit and juice stands.

Transportation Cost

• $96
• $24

The transportation I used:

Transportation	Total Cost	Per Person
Car rental	$215	$54
Gas	$16	$4
Tolls	$16	$4
Parking	$30	$7
Ferry (Vieques)	$16	$4
Taxi	$92	$23

My transportation budgeting tips:

• Rent a standard car – Like much of the United States, Puerto Rico requires a vehicle for transportation. Car rentals are the most affordable option, as taxis and tour vehicles are more expensive. Expect to pay about $45 per day for a small rental car.

Entertainment Cost 

• $74
• $19

The activities/attractions I did:

Experience	Location	Cost
🌙 Mosquito Bay	Vieques	$74
🏰 Castillo San Felipe del Morro	Old San Juan	Free
🏝️ Playa Negra	Vieques	Free
🌳 El Yunque Rainforest	Sierra de Luquillo	$0.50
🖼️ Santurce Street Art Murals	San Juan	Free
🏝️ Playa Caracas	Vieques	Free

My entertainment budgeting tips:

• Take advantage of the free attractions – Puerto Rico has many free outdoor activities and attractions. Here are some of things I did that were free: explore Old San Juan for two hours, visit attractions like Castillo San Felipe del Morro, and catch the sunset at Paseo de la Princesa.
• Visit the beaches – All beaches in Puerto Rico are open to the public, so they don’t have an entrance fee. You won’t be able to use any hotel equipment for free, so bring your own towel, snorkeling gear, etc.

See my ratings for Puerto Rico’s experiences.

Cost Breakdown by Destination

Below are my trip expense breakdowns for the places I visited during my trip.

San Juan

• 2 days
• $269
• $135

Old San Juan, the vibrant and historic area of San Juan, is Puerto Rico’s most popular tourist destination, so you can expect the average prices for accommodation and food to be higher and the lines to be longer.

Vieques

• 2 days
• $369
• $184

Vieques is known to have one of the world’s few bioluminescent bays. Kayaking over glowing water at night was a magical, unbelievable experience. I booked an amazing tour from Vieques to Mosquito Bay, the best bioluminescent bay.

Do You Need Cash?

• Puerto Rico has an excellent credit card infrastructure in tourist areas, so you’ll only need to carry a bit of cash.

My tips on using cash:

• Since Puerto Rico is part of the United States, the island’s local currency is the USD.
• Carry about $25 to $30 worth of cash per day. You’ll mainly need cash to buy food at food stands, tip tour guides, and pay for street parking.
• Like the rest of the US, tipping is customary in Puerto Rico. A 10% tip is typical at restaurants and a 10%-20% tip is typical for tour guides.