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CityLedger

Mayagüez vs Ponce

Metro-area medians — Mayagüez, PR Metro Area vs Ponce, PR Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Ponce comes out ahead, winning 4 of the 5 clearly-decided measures.

Mayagüez and Ponce cost about the same to live in, but Ponce households earn about 8% more.

Their widest everyday difference: Ponce has cleaner air on a typical day — a median AQI of 3 versus 11.

For your salary & household

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Mayagüez, PR
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
No local price index — real value not shown.
Ponce, PR
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
No local price index — real value not shown.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Mayagüez
Ponce
Livability (CityLedger)
32/100
35/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
—
—
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
—
—
Median household income
$21,554
$23,324
Median rent
$519/mo
$516/mo
Median home value
$133,000
$113,500
Unemployment
9.8%
14.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher
26.6%
25.9%
Average commute
24.6 min
24.9 min
Air quality (median AQI)
11
3
Avg temperature
76°F
76°F

Choose Mayagüez for

  • + Unemployment
Full Mayagüez profile →

Choose Ponce for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Median household income
  • + Median home value
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Ponce profile →

Mayagüez vs Ponce — frequently asked

Which has higher household income, Mayagüez or Ponce?
Ponce has the higher median household income — $23,324 versus $21,554 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 8% more.
Which has cheaper rent, Mayagüez or Ponce?
Rents are close — $519/mo in the Mayagüez metro versus $516/mo in Ponce (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).