San Juan - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
Wonderful re-bar reinforced concrete , concrete roofed fortress. (to survive hurricanes. If you buy a US-style 'stick house', eventually, you will be ruined by hurricanes). Semi-retired. No commute. I've lived in Houston and Los Angeles, San Juan is relatively awful at rush hour but much less awful than those places. West coast and small towns east coast are a piece of cake. - May 2023
Houses are nice and commutes aren't bad (in my opinion) unless you live in Dorado. We lived in suburban housing and my husband drove downtown in 20 minutes each day. Getting home might take 45 minutes max. Most expats choose to live in Condado (downtown), Guaynabo or Dorado (bad commute). - Jan 2014
Most families choose to live in gated suburban neighborhoods in Guaynabo, Trujilio Alto, Bayamon, Carolina and Montihedria. Condado would probably be more appealing to singles or couples with out kids, although there are a lot of expat families living in Condado. But because there is NO HOUSING ALLOWANCE here the more beachy areas can get very expensive when going past one or two bedrooms. Houses are concrete block construction and vary greatly. It is not hard to find one with a pool, though with utilities so high it is also not uncommon to find one without basic appliances such as an oven, clothes dryer or dishwasher. Most houses have mini-split A/C units. A lot of houses have security bars over doors and windows and house alarms are strongly encouraged. - Jun 2013
