Academia Cristo Rey
American
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inPonce, Puerto Rico (US)
Ponce, Puerto Rico (US)137KHigh incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: Tito Caraballo
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 1.5x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Puerto Rico (US): $44,603/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 35% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Overall
1.5x further
Prices are 35% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
4.3x further
Prices are 77% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
1.4x further
Prices are 28% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
1.7x further
Prices are 43% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
High
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$44,603
PPP, International $
City Population
137K
Child Education
International and private school tuition + curriculum mix for relocating families.
International & private schools
1 confirmed school
2 more suggested by AI, not verified
- American1
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Nanny, housekeeper, and driver pricing is not yet sourced for Ponce. We publish this section only when we can tie it to local job-board, agency, or country fallback evidence.
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Ponce is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Puerto Rico (US).
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
28 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
GoodSolid hospital-bed capacity and low out-of-pocket burden help, but coverage looks thinner.
Public care
LimitedRelatively low patient cost-sharing help, but public coverage looks thinner and public funding looks lighter.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
0/100
2025
Physicians
1.75/1k
1995
Hospital beds
3.32/1k
1996
Out of pocket
0%
2025
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
81.9 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
11/100k
2023
International patient readiness
LimitedMultiple facilities have websites help, but price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Clinic: 12Pharmacy: 10Hospital: 4Doctor: 1Laboratory: 1
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Puerto Rico (US) yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
Hospital Damas
Hospital · Emergency
El Hospital Metropolitano Dr. Pila
Hospital · Emergency
Hospital San Lucas
Hospital · Emergency
Hospital Psiquiatria Forense De Ponce
Hospital · Emergency
psychiatry
Sala Emergencias San Lucas
Clinic · Emergency
Hospital de Los Veteranos
Clinic
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
City-level perceived-crime data is not sourced for Ponce yet. Showing Puerto Rico (US) national safety and governance signals until a matched city row lands.
Street Safety
Safety Index55/100
Crime Index45/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability+0.27
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2024 annual wages in Ponce, Puerto Rico (US) · Source: Territory estimate (parent: US) (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
budget hotel
$22.00Estimated39% cheaper
childcare preschool
$875.20Estimated44% cheaper
eggs dozen
$6.48Estimated35% more
gasoline liter
$0.88Estimated15% cheaper
inexpensive meal
$19.13Estimated10% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$70.37Estimated4% more
luxury hotel
$220.00Estimated54% cheaper
milk liter
$2.13Estimated75% more
monthly pass
$30.00Estimated57% cheaper
rent 1br
$1808.89Estimated0% cheaper
rent 3br
$2758.00Estimated13% cheaper
utilities basic
$353.25Estimated65% more
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Ponce compared with the US?
Your money goes about 1.5x further in Ponce than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Puerto Rico (US) here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Ponce cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Ponce is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 35% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Ponce. We are using the country-level cost index for Puerto Rico (US) here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Ponce compare with New York City?
Rent in Ponce is about 77% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Puerto Rico (US) here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Ponce?
Groceries in Ponce are about 28% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 43% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Puerto Rico (US) here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Ponce
Ponce is a city on the southern coast of Puerto Rico, set on the Caribbean Sea about 120 kilometers southwest of San Juan via the PR-52 toll highway. It is the principal urban center of southern Puerto Rico and historically one of the island's wealthiest cities thanks to nineteenth-century sugar and coffee trade, leaving behind a distinctive Ponce Creole architectural core around Plaza Las Delicias. The local economy today combines administration, healthcare, education (notably the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico and the Ponce Health Sciences University), pharmaceutical manufacturing along the southern coast, and the Ponce port. The city was significantly affected by the 2020 southwestern earthquakes. For relocators, Ponce offers a Spanish-dominant Caribbean U.S. context. Climate is tropical with a marked drier south-coast pattern.
Tropical climate: hot and humid year-round, hurricane season June-NovemberInternet: adequate but inconsistent, 100+ Mbps available but not universalExpat community: small but welcoming, mostly retired Americans and digital nomadsWalkability: moderately walkable historic center, car needed for suburbsFood scene: authentic Puerto Rican cuisine dominates, Caribbean seafood specialtiesNightlife: quieter than San Juan, local bars and occasional cultural eventsCoworking: limited options, mostly cafes or home-based workSafety: generally safe in tourist and residential areas, petty theft in some neighborhoods
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