San Jose vs Austin: where does a chief operating officer save more?
Best for saving: San Jose โ about $17,243/mo after taxes and living costs.
San Jose US โ
Best for saving | Austin US | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $471,237 | $316,826 |
| Take-home / mo | $21,583 | $17,407 |
| Income tax | ~45% | ~34% |
| Living costs / mo | $4,340 | $2,910 |
| Savings / mo | $17,243 | $14,497 |
| Savings rate | 80% | 83% |
| Verdict | Excellent | Excellent |
Single professional, after-tax. "Savings" = take-home โ a baseline cost of living. A planning estimate, not financial advice.
How we calculated this
โข Salary: BLS/OECD median for a chief operating officer, adjusted per city.
โข Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~45%, US ~34%).
โข Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.