Sacramento vs Austin: where does a ar/vr developer save more?

Best for saving: Austin โ€” about $6,328/mo after taxes and living costs.

Sacramento
US
Austin
US
โ˜… Best for saving
Median salary$139,640$153,759
Take-home / mo$7,532$9,238
Income tax~35%~28%
Living costs / mo$3,300$2,910
Savings / mo$4,232$6,328
Savings rate56%69%
VerdictExcellentExcellent

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 ar/vr developer, adjusted per city.

โ€ข Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~35%, US ~28%).

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

Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.