2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Mayagüez, 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 Mayagüez, 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
+$11,712
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$6,500/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

Mayagüez, 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 -$6,648
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,320
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 Mayagüez, 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 $554 a month in Mayagüez and $1,530 in Austin, $11,712 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 $6,500 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $25,270 in Mayagüez 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 Mayagüez (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$554$1,530+$976+176.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,169$1,735-$434-20.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$976/mo (176.2%)
Mayagüez: $554/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,214/mo (201.3%)
Mayagüez: $603/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) Not published
Mayagüez: not published Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) Not published
Mayagüez: 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 Mayagüez Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$54,140$117,850+$63,710 (+117.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$39,280$97,890+$58,610 (+149.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$56,750$102,390+$45,640 (+80.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$38,490$83,120+$44,630 (+116.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$71,750$151,760+$80,010 (+111.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$37,800$60,390+$22,590 (+59.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$75,380$167,180+$91,800 (+121.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$59,540$106,600+$47,060 (+79.0%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$72,800$102,980+$30,180 (+41.5%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$30,120$62,810+$32,690 (+108.5%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$73,850$126,110+$52,260 (+70.8%)View Dossier
Administrative Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$63,730$125,000+$61,270 (+96.1%)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

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

A single filer earning $100,000 pays $26,032 in Mayagüez, 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 Mayagüez, PR and $13,170 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX; FICA does not change.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Mayagüez, 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 Mayagüez, PR and Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

A single filer earning $100,000 pays $26,032 in Mayagüez, 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 Mayagüez, PR and $13,170 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX; FICA does not change.

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

HUD Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom is $554 a month in Mayagüez, PR and $1,530 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX; for a two-bedroom, $603 and $1,817. Over a year the one-bedroom difference is $11,712 (176.2%).