Los Angeles vs Austin: where does a illustrator save more?
Best for saving: Austin — about $1,239/mo after taxes and living costs.
Los Angeles US | Austin US ★ Best for saving | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $60,179 | $60,796 |
| Take-home / mo | $3,685 | $4,149 |
| Income tax | ~27% | ~18% |
| Living costs / mo | $3,860 | $2,910 |
| Savings / mo | $-175 | $1,239 |
| Savings rate | -5% | 30% |
| Verdict | Tight | 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 illustrator, adjusted per city.
• Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~27%, US ~18%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.