Detroit vs Austin: where does a firefighter save more?

Best for saving: Detroit โ€” about $1,525/mo after taxes and living costs.

Detroit
US
โ˜… Best for saving
Austin
US
Median salary$62,730$58,830
Take-home / mo$4,045$4,029
Income tax~23%~18%
Living costs / mo$2,520$2,910
Savings / mo$1,525$1,119
Savings rate38%28%
VerdictExcellentComfortable

Single professional, after-tax. "Savings" = take-home โˆ’ a baseline cost of living. A planning estimate, not financial advice.

How we calculated this

โ€ข Salary: BLS/OECD median for a firefighter, adjusted per city.

โ€ข Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~23%, US ~18%).

โ€ข Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.

Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.