San Francisco vs Austin: where does a geologist save more?
Best for saving: Austin — about $2,713/mo after taxes and living costs.
San Francisco US | Austin US ★ Best for saving | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $109,802 | $85,898 |
| Take-home / mo | $6,178 | $5,623 |
| Income tax | ~32% | ~21% |
| Living costs / mo | $4,400 | $2,910 |
| Savings / mo | $1,778 | $2,713 |
| Savings rate | 29% | 48% |
| 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 geologist, adjusted per city.
• Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~32%, US ~21%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.