San Jose vs Austin: where does a data scientist save more?
Best for saving: San Jose — about $5,902/mo after taxes and living costs.
San Jose US ★ Best for saving | Austin US | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $203,119 | $130,733 |
| Take-home / mo | $10,242 | $8,056 |
| Income tax | ~39% | ~26% |
| Living costs / mo | $4,340 | $2,910 |
| Savings / mo | $5,902 | $5,146 |
| Savings rate | 58% | 64% |
| 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 data scientist, adjusted per city.
• Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~39%, US ~26%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.