Raleigh vs Austin: where does a biologist save more?
Best for saving: Raleigh — about $2,648/mo after taxes and living costs.
Raleigh US ★ Best for saving | Austin US | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $88,746 | $67,160 |
| Take-home / mo | $5,448 | $4,536 |
| Income tax | ~26% | ~19% |
| Living costs / mo | $2,800 | $2,910 |
| Savings / mo | $2,648 | $1,626 |
| Savings rate | 49% | 36% |
| 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 biologist, adjusted per city.
• Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~26%, US ~19%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.