Chicago vs Austin: where does a commercial airline pilot save more?
Best for saving: Austin — about $7,070/mo after taxes and living costs.
Chicago US | Austin US ★ Best for saving | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $160,146 | $168,958 |
| Take-home / mo | $8,893 | $9,980 |
| Income tax | ~33% | ~29% |
| Living costs / mo | $3,220 | $2,910 |
| Savings / mo | $5,673 | $7,070 |
| Savings rate | 64% | 71% |
| Verdict | Excellent | 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 commercial airline pilot, adjusted per city.
• Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~33%, US ~29%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.