São Paulo vs Austin: where does a patent attorney save more?

Best for saving: Austin — about $9,042/mo after taxes and living costs.

São Paulo
Brazil
Austin
US
★ Best for saving
Median salary$61,868$208,541
Take-home / mo$4,215$11,952
Income tax~18%~31%
Living costs / mo$1,400$2,910
Savings / mo$2,815$9,042
Savings rate67%76%
VerdictExcellentExcellent

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 patent attorney, adjusted per city.

Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. Brazil ~18%, US ~31%).

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

Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.