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