San Francisco vs Austin: where does a mechatronics engineer save more?
Best for saving: Austin โ about $3,991/mo after taxes and living costs.
San Francisco US | Austin US โ
Best for saving | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $141,921 | $108,793 |
| Take-home / mo | $7,634 | $6,901 |
| Income tax | ~35% | ~24% |
| Living costs / mo | $4,400 | $2,910 |
| Savings / mo | $3,234 | $3,991 |
| Savings rate | 42% | 58% |
| Verdict | Excellent | Excellent |
Single professional, after-tax. "Savings" = take-home โ a baseline cost of living. A planning estimate, not financial advice.
How we calculated this
โข Salary: BLS/OECD median for a mechatronics engineer, adjusted per city.
โข Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~35%, US ~24%).
โข Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.