RUM Professor Receives NSF Grant for Human-AI Driving Research
Juan F. Medina Lee was awarded a $517,000 CAREER grant to develop computational models for trust and collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence in autonomous vehicles.
Plan your Puerto Rico trip
The best beaches, things to do, places to eat and stay, plus live weather, sea conditions and island news, all in one place.
The newsroom
Latest from Puerto Rico
All stories
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from several published reports and official statements. Every story lists and links its sources.
Titulares en español · other outlets
Noticias en españolEl Nuevo DíaSubastan el “lightsaber” que utilizó Darth Vader en el duelo de “I am your father”
NotiCelLe otorgan subvención NSF CAREER para investigar vehículos autónomos colaborativos
El Nuevo DíaIntensas lluvias provocan evacuaciones e inundaciones en Chile
NotiCelPitbull anuncia nuevo álbum con Bon Jovi y Enrique Iglesias
Feature
Living on the island
Start with the move
Guide
Moving to Puerto Rico
Residency, the first 90 days, and what a decree does not do for you.
2026
Cost of living
Power, IVU and the car excise, each figure dated and sourced.
Towns
Where to live
Who Dorado, Condado, Ponce and Rincón actually suit.
Prepared with The Colectivo Group
Puerto Rico 2027: the HNWI relocation guide
What the 4% rate, the six-year non-residency rule, and a decree actually require before you move. A long-form guide, not a slogan.
Read the guide
Free tools
Quick answers for life on the island
Each tool runs on published data and tells you where the numbers come from.
Live data
Puerto Rico right now
San Juan weather, sea temperature, earthquakes and the tropics on one page.
Calendar
Puerto Rico holidays
Every official holiday through 2030, with countdowns and a calendar file.
Tracker
Hurricane season
Active Atlantic storms from NHC, the outlook and a prep checklist.
Live marine
Beach & surf conditions
Modeled waves, swell and water temperature at 12 beaches.
Calculator
IVU sales tax
Add or remove Puerto Rico's 11.5% sales tax, with the reduced rates.
Calculator
Driving distances
Distance and drive time between any two of the 76 mainland towns.
Language
Spanish phrases
100 phrases for visitors, with the boricua expressions you'll actually hear.
Guide
Moving & Act 60
Residency, taxes, the 2026 Act 60 changes and the practical steps.
The island
Places to visit in Puerto Rico, from El Morro to Mosquito Bay
All destinationsThe main island has about 3,424 square miles of land, and a full drive around the coast takes about 7 hours without traffic, yet it packs a rainforest, a dry forest, karst caves, three glowing bays and two island municipalities off its east coast. Each picture opens a full guide.
Interactive map
78 municipalities, one map
Tap any municipality to see its 2020 Census population, density and drive time from San Juan, or jump to a destination guide from the pins.
Coming up
Holidays on the calendar
Full calendarColumbus Day / Día de la Raza
Día de la Raza (Descubrimiento de América)Monday, October 12, 2026
Second Monday in October.
Federal & Puerto RicoVeterans Day
Día del VeteranoWednesday, November 11, 2026
Puerto Ricans have served in the U.S. armed forces since World War I.
Federal & Puerto RicoDiscovery of Puerto Rico Day
Día de la Puertorriqueñidad (Descubrimiento de Puerto Rico)Thursday, November 19, 2026
Columbus reached the island on November 19, 1493, on his second voyage.
Puerto Rico holidayThanksgiving
Día de Acción de GraciasThursday, November 26, 2026
Fourth Thursday in November; often turkey stuffed with mofongo ("pavochón").
Federal & Puerto Rico
Before you go
Puerto Rico essentials
Short answers to the questions people ask most about Puerto Rico. Each links to a full guide with its sources.
Is Puerto Rico part of the US?
Yes, it is a US territory, not a state. Puerto Ricans have been US citizens since 1917, and US citizens do not need a passport to visit.
Money, language and rules
The currency is the US dollar. Spanish and English are both official languages, but Spanish dominates daily life. The drinking age is 18.
Is Puerto Rico safe?
Yes, for most visitors who take normal precautions. The usual problems for travelers are petty theft, rip currents, heat and mosquitoes.
Getting around
Uber and Lyft both operate, and both serve the San Juan airport. Driving the full coastal loop takes about 7 hours without traffic.
Weather and hurricanes
It is warm all year. Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, so check the tropics before you travel in those months.
Bioluminescent bays
Puerto Rico has three glowing bays. Mosquito Bay on Vieques is the world’s brightest, according to Guinness World Records. Go near the new moon.
By the numbers
Puerto Rico at a glance
3,285,874residents in the 2020 CensusU.S. Census Bureau
78municipalities, including the island towns of Vieques and CulebraU.S. Census Bureau
3,424 sq miof land, about 8,870 km²Census cartographic boundaries, 2023
4,390 ftCerro de Punta, the highest point (1,338 m)USGS
1917Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens (Jones–Shafroth Act)Library of Congress
UTC−4Atlantic Standard Time all year, no daylight savingIANA tz: America/Puerto_Rico