San Francisco vs Austin: where does a climate scientist save more?
Best for saving: Austin — about $2,863/mo after taxes and living costs.
San Francisco US | Austin US ★ Best for saving | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $120,559 | $88,601 |
| Take-home / mo | $6,675 | $5,773 |
| Income tax | ~34% | ~22% |
| Living costs / mo | $4,400 | $2,910 |
| Savings / mo | $2,275 | $2,863 |
| Savings rate | 34% | 50% |
| 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 climate scientist, adjusted per city.
• Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~34%, US ~22%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.