Austin vs San Francisco: where does a environmental scientist save more?
Best for saving: Austin — about $1,969/mo after taxes and living costs.
Austin US ★ Best for saving | San Francisco US | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $72,941 | $93,981 |
| Take-home / mo | $4,879 | $5,412 |
| Income tax | ~20% | ~31% |
| Living costs / mo | $2,910 | $4,400 |
| Savings / mo | $1,969 | $1,012 |
| Savings rate | 40% | 19% |
| Verdict | Excellent | Comfortable |
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 environmental scientist, adjusted per city.
• Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~20%, US ~31%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.