San Francisco vs Austin: where does a biologist save more?
Best for saving: Austin — about $2,263/mo after taxes and living costs.
San Francisco US | Austin US ★ Best for saving | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $104,471 | $77,983 |
| Take-home / mo | $5,925 | $5,173 |
| Income tax | ~32% | ~20% |
| Living costs / mo | $4,400 | $2,910 |
| Savings / mo | $1,525 | $2,263 |
| Savings rate | 26% | 44% |
| Verdict | Comfortable | 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 ~32%, US ~20%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.