San Francisco vs Austin: where does a climate scientist save more?
Best for saving: San Francisco — about $4,371/mo after taxes and living costs.
San Francisco US ★ Best for saving | Austin US | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $168,645 | $93,070 |
| Take-home / mo | $8,771 | $6,026 |
| Income tax | ~38% | ~22% |
| Living costs / mo | $4,400 | $2,910 |
| Savings / mo | $4,371 | $3,116 |
| Savings rate | 50% | 52% |
| 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 climate scientist, adjusted per city.
• Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~38%, US ~22%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.