About 250,900 households in Puerto Rico, or 23.7% of the total, spent more than 30% of their income on rent or mortgage and basic housing services in 2024, according to USAFacts data. The share is below the U.S. average of 33.0%. On average, Puerto Ricans paid $580 a month in rent in 2024, equal to 37.5% of their income, the lowest percentage in the past 10 years; it reached 50.6% in 2015.
Spending more than 30% of income on housing is considered an excessive burden, leaving households less money for food, medical care or savings. The number of households struggling with housing costs fell 28.2% in a decade, from 349,200 in 2014. Homeowners with difficulty paying for housing went from 28.1% of the total in 2014 to 17.7% in 2024, while the share of renters with difficulty fell from 57.3% to 46.6%.
By town, Guayama has the highest percentage of homeowner households struggling with housing costs at 20.6%, and Aguadilla the lowest at 17.1%. Among renters, the greatest difficulty is in Mayagüez (56.5%) and the lowest percentage is in Arecibo (44.0%).