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?
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.
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.
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
Americans that have moved to Florida…
Which is a valid question. I’m an American who moved to Colorado. Wasn’t born there, made it my home.
I’m an American that moved to North Cakilaki and back to Florida, never to Puerto Rico or Colorado though.
People in DC can vote in federal elections, they just don’t get any house/senators. Which is a load of shit, by the way.
So what happens to their votes?
Under the 23rd amendment (1961), DC gets 3 electoral votes, the same as the minimum amount of votes a State can have.
Taxation without representation. Hmmm. Why does this sound familiar?
You knew what the question was asking.
And yet racism needs addressing.
There was no implication that PR is a foreign country. Americans moving there would likely have a different experience than Canadians, Europeans, Mexicans, etc. because it’s part of the US.
Just because “mainland USA” wasn’t used doesn’t mean it’s racist. Would it have been perceived the same way if Hawaii was substituted?
Probably not, because everyone knows that Hawaii is a state but a lot of people don’t know that Puerto Rico is a territory and the populace has citizenship.
Give it a fucking rest already, that ain’t what we’re talking about.
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.
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?
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
I’d also recommend being close, if not fully, fluent in Spanish.
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.
might like costa rica
CR has been on my retirement radar for a while. It remains to be seen how viable that thought is once global warming and sea level rise really ramp over the next 20-30y.
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.
Follow-up question: You guys still dealing with the Chupacabra?
No, but I heard bochinche (gossip) about a mamapinga in the Capitolio
