Housing in Caguas spans the municipality's full urban-to-suburban range. The historic urban core holds older homes and apartments near the central plaza, while established single-family neighborhoods spread across the valley. Newer condominium and single-family development lines the city's commercial corridors and the PR-52 corridor toward San Juan, and gated communities and hillside homes occupy the surrounding slopes. As one of Puerto Rico's largest municipalities, Caguas offers a broad selection of residential options, from walkable in-town living to larger suburban and hillside properties.

Caguas embraces its nickname "La Ciudad Criolla" with a lively cultural and culinary scene. The Caguas Museum of Art and other venues in the historic downtown present Puerto Rican artists, while the Paseo de las Artes offers a walkable arts corridor. Restaurants, festivals, and events celebrating Creole music, food, and tradition fill the calendar. The Caguas Botanical and Cultural Garden combines tropical plant collections with exhibits on the island's sugar industry and Taíno heritage. It is a proud, community-oriented city where culture and daily life are closely intertwined.

Caguas has an extensive public school system operated by the Puerto Rico Department of Education, together with a range of private and parochial schools. In higher education, the municipality is a regional center: Ana G. Méndez University operates a major campus in nearby Gurabo, serving the Caguas area along with other post-secondary institutions. This concentration of schools and universities makes Caguas an educational anchor for the island's central-eastern region.

Caguas has strong highway connections across Puerto Rico. PR-52, the Luis A. Ferré Expressway, links the city directly to San Juan and the greater metro area, while PR-1 and PR-156 connect it to the island's mountainous interior towns, and PR-30 reaches the eastern municipalities. Intercity buses provide service between Caguas and San Juan and neighboring towns, though most residents travel by car. The city's central-eastern location makes it a practical base for reaching both the coast and the mountains.

The Caguas Botanical and Cultural Garden (Jardín Botánico y Cultural William Miranda Marín) is the city's premier attraction, combining tropical and endemic plant collections with a lake, a historic sugar mill, and exhibits on Taíno culture. The historic downtown offers museums, churches, and restored homes, including the Route of the Creole Heart walking tour. Public plazas, art walks, and cultural festivals round out a recreation scene centered on heritage and community gathering rather than coastal tourism.