2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Aguadilla, 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Aguadilla, 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
-$9,048
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,836/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

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
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 -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,048
Target Market
Destination Location

Aguadilla, 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 -$6,084
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,884

EPI publishes no family budget for Aguadilla, 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 $1,261 a month in Houston and $507 in Aguadilla, $9,048 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 Aguadilla. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,836 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $26,480 in Aguadilla.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Aguadilla (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$507-$754-59.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,169+$434+25.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$754/mo (-59.8%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Aguadilla: $507/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$884/mo (-59.1%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Aguadilla: $613/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) Not published
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Aguadilla: not published
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) Not published
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Aguadilla: not published

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Aguadilla Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$67,030-$52,570 (-44.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$38,000-$61,830 (-61.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$49,610-$49,900 (-50.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$36,880-$48,210 (-56.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$77,840-$51,600 (-39.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$33,630-$25,550 (-43.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$77,020-$89,890 (-53.9%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,180$37,690-$25,490 (-40.3%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$25,130-$21,500 (-46.1%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,530$71,510-$32,020 (-30.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$79,420-$56,460 (-41.6%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,940$28,450-$29,490 (-50.9%)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

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Aguadilla, PR Relocation FAQs

A single filer earning $100,000 pays $20,820 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (state $0, local $0) and $26,032 in Aguadilla, 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and $0 in Aguadilla, PR; FICA does not change.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Aguadilla, PR: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Aguadilla, PR to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Aguadilla, PR Overview

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Aguadilla, PR: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and BLS wages compared on the same salary. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Aguadilla, PR compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How do taxes compare between Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and Aguadilla, PR?

A single filer earning $100,000 pays $20,820 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (state $0, local $0) and $26,032 in Aguadilla, 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and $0 in Aguadilla, PR; FICA does not change.

What is the rent difference between Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and Aguadilla, PR?

HUD Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom is $1,261 a month in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and $507 in Aguadilla, PR; for a two-bedroom, $1,497 and $613. Over a year the one-bedroom difference is $9,048 (59.8%).