2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: San Juan-Bayamon, PR to Houston-Pasadena, 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 San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, 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
+$7,884
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,672/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

San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, 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 -$7,248
Discretionary Cash Flow $66,720
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
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 -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,048

EPI publishes no family budget for San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, 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 $604 a month in San Juan and $1,261 in Houston, $7,884 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 Houston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,672 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $29,440 in San Juan and $49,410 in Houston.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$604$1,261+$657+108.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,169$1,735-$434-20.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$657/mo (108.8%)
San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas: $604/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$791/mo (112.0%)
San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas: $706/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

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

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$75,370$119,600+$44,230 (+58.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$41,980$99,830+$57,850 (+137.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$44,470$85,090+$40,620 (+91.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$71,740$99,510+$27,770 (+38.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$79,380$129,440+$50,060 (+63.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$94,600$166,910+$72,310 (+76.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$35,470$59,180+$23,710 (+66.8%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$44,420$63,180+$18,760 (+42.2%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$37,120$46,630+$9,510 (+25.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$80,410$135,880+$55,470 (+69.0%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$30,390$57,940+$27,550 (+90.7%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$77,990$103,530+$25,540 (+32.7%)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

San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

A single filer earning $100,000 pays $26,032 in San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR (Puerto Rico $18,382, local $0) and $20,820 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, 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 San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR and $13,170 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX; FICA does not change.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR
Relocation: San Juan-Bayamon, PR to Houston-Pasadena, TX Overview

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

Quick answers
How do taxes compare between San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR and Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

A single filer earning $100,000 pays $26,032 in San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR (Puerto Rico $18,382, local $0) and $20,820 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, 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 San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR and $13,170 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX; FICA does not change.

What is the rent difference between San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR and Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

HUD Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom is $604 a month in San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR and $1,261 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX; for a two-bedroom, $706 and $1,497. Over a year the one-bedroom difference is $7,884 (108.8%).