Austin vs San Francisco: where does a game designer save more?
Best for saving: San Francisco — about $2,754/mo after taxes and living costs.
Austin US | San Francisco US ★ Best for saving | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $65,060 | $131,260 |
| Take-home / mo | $4,409 | $7,154 |
| Income tax | ~19% | ~35% |
| Living costs / mo | $2,910 | $4,400 |
| Savings / mo | $1,499 | $2,754 |
| Savings rate | 34% | 38% |
| 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 game designer, adjusted per city.
• Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~19%, US ~35%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.