Raleigh vs Austin: where does a 3d animator save more?

Best for saving: Raleigh โ€” about $1,640/mo after taxes and living costs.

Raleigh
US
โ˜… Best for saving
Austin
US
Median salary$69,939$56,210
Take-home / mo$4,440$3,868
Income tax~24%~17%
Living costs / mo$2,800$2,910
Savings / mo$1,640$958
Savings rate37%25%
VerdictExcellentComfortable

Single professional, after-tax. "Savings" = take-home โˆ’ a baseline cost of living. A planning estimate, not financial advice.

How we calculated this

โ€ข Salary: BLS/OECD median for a 3d animator, adjusted per city.

โ€ข Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~24%, US ~17%).

โ€ข Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.

Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.