San Francisco vs Austin: where does a airline pilot save more?
Best for saving: Austin — about $9,755/mo after taxes and living costs.
San Francisco US | Austin US ★ Best for saving | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $291,568 | $222,989 |
| Take-home / mo | $14,052 | $12,665 |
| Income tax | ~42% | ~32% |
| Living costs / mo | $4,400 | $2,910 |
| Savings / mo | $9,652 | $9,755 |
| Savings rate | 69% | 77% |
| Verdict | Excellent | Excellent |
Single professional, after-tax. "Savings" = take-home − a baseline cost of living. A planning estimate, not financial advice.
How we calculated this
• Salary: BLS/OECD median for a airline pilot, adjusted per city.
• Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~42%, US ~32%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.