Austin vs Berlin: where does a software engineer save more?
Best for saving: Austin — about $6,081/mo after taxes and living costs.
Austin US ★ Best for saving | Berlin Germany | |
|---|---|---|
| Median salary | $148,834 | $85,776 |
| Take-home / mo | $8,991 | $4,176 |
| Income tax | ~28% | ~42% |
| Living costs / mo | $2,910 | $2,333 |
| Savings / mo | $6,081 | $1,843 |
| Savings rate | 68% | 44% |
| 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 software engineer, adjusted per city.
• Tax: each country's single-filer effective rate (e.g. US ~28%, Germany ~42%).
• Living costs: a single professional's baseline monthly budget per city.
Estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026.