2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Arecibo, PR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and BLS wages for a move from Arecibo, PR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
Not published
No EPI budget for this move
Cost of Living Delta
Not published
No EPI budget for this move
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,212
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$12,552
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$7,340/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Arecibo, PR

COL Not published
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax $0
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
Puerto Rico Income Tax -$18,382
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $73,968
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$5,808
Discretionary Cash Flow $68,160
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Income (same salary) $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,820

EPI publishes no family budget for Arecibo, PR, so there is no equivalent salary or living-cost comparison for this move; the figures below compare the same salary in both metros. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $484 a month in Arecibo and $1,530 in Austin, $12,552 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,212 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $7,340 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $26,120 in Arecibo and $56,950 in Austin.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Arecibo (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$484$1,530+$1,046+216.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,169$1,735-$434-20.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,046/mo (216.1%)
Arecibo: $484/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,258/mo (225.0%)
Arecibo: $559/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) Not published
Arecibo: not published Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) Not published
Arecibo: not published Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Arecibo Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$60,110$117,850+$57,740 (+96.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$37,460$97,890+$60,430 (+161.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$36,680$83,120+$46,440 (+126.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$72,860$151,760+$78,900 (+108.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$37,840$60,390+$22,550 (+59.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$75,140$167,180+$92,040 (+122.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$61,100$106,600+$45,500 (+74.5%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$83,050$126,110+$43,060 (+51.8%)View Dossier
Administrative Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$64,070$125,000+$60,930 (+95.1%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$29,040$48,260+$19,220 (+66.2%)View Dossier
Education Administrators, PostsecondaryFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$68,650$125,190+$56,540 (+82.4%)View Dossier
HVAC/R TechnicianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$29,140$60,820+$31,680 (+108.7%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Arecibo, PR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

A single filer earning $100,000 pays $26,032 in Arecibo, PR (Puerto Rico $18,382, local $0) and $20,820 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX (state $0, local $0): $5,212 less a year after the move. Puerto Rico residents pay Puerto Rico income tax instead of federal income tax on Puerto Rico wages (IRC 933), so federal income tax is $0 in Arecibo, PR and $13,170 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX; FICA does not change.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Arecibo, PR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Arecibo, PR
Relocation: Arecibo, PR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Arecibo, PR to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and BLS wages compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How do taxes compare between Arecibo, PR and Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

A single filer earning $100,000 pays $26,032 in Arecibo, PR (Puerto Rico $18,382, local $0) and $20,820 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX (state $0, local $0): $5,212 less a year after the move. Puerto Rico residents pay Puerto Rico income tax instead of federal income tax on Puerto Rico wages (IRC 933), so federal income tax is $0 in Arecibo, PR and $13,170 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX; FICA does not change.

What is the rent difference between Arecibo, PR and Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

HUD Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom is $484 a month in Arecibo, PR and $1,530 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX; for a two-bedroom, $559 and $1,817. Over a year the one-bedroom difference is $12,552 (216.1%).