2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Arecibo, PR.

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

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,820
Target Market
Destination Location

Arecibo, PR

COL Not published
Gross Income (same salary) $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

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 $1,530 a month in Austin and $484 in Arecibo, $12,552 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,212 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Arecibo. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $7,340 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $26,120 in Arecibo.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Arecibo (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$484-$1,046-68.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,169+$434+25.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,046/mo (-68.4%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Arecibo: $484/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,258/mo (-69.2%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Arecibo: $559/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

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

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Arecibo Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$60,110-$57,740 (-49.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$37,460-$60,430 (-61.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$36,680-$46,440 (-55.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$72,860-$78,900 (-52.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$37,840-$22,550 (-37.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$75,140-$92,040 (-55.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$61,100-$45,500 (-42.7%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,110$83,050-$43,060 (-34.1%)View Dossier
Administrative Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,000$64,070-$60,930 (-48.7%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,260$29,040-$19,220 (-39.8%)View Dossier
Education Administrators, PostsecondaryFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,190$68,650-$56,540 (-45.2%)View Dossier
HVAC/R TechnicianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,820$29,140-$31,680 (-52.1%)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

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

A single filer earning $100,000 pays $20,820 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX (state $0, local $0) and $26,032 in Arecibo, PR (Puerto Rico $18,382, local $0): $5,212 more 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 $13,170 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX and $0 in Arecibo, PR; FICA does not change.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

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

A single filer earning $100,000 pays $20,820 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX (state $0, local $0) and $26,032 in Arecibo, PR (Puerto Rico $18,382, local $0): $5,212 more 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 $13,170 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX and $0 in Arecibo, PR; FICA does not change.

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

HUD Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom is $1,530 a month in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX and $484 in Arecibo, PR; for a two-bedroom, $1,817 and $559. Over a year the one-bedroom difference is $12,552 (68.4%).