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

Best for saving: Richmond โ€” about $1,798/mo after taxes and living costs.

Richmond
US
โ˜… Best for saving
Austin
US
Median salary$75,322$56,210
Take-home / mo$4,658$3,868
Income tax~26%~17%
Living costs / mo$2,860$2,910
Savings / mo$1,798$958
Savings rate39%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 ~26%, US ~17%).

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

Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.