Can a Illustrator afford to live in Pittsburgh?

Comfortable24% of take-home left to save — solid margin to save and invest.
Median salary (gross)
Illustrator · Pittsburgh
$50,856
Income tax (~20% effective)
United States
– $10,018
Take-home pay
$3,403/mo
$40,838
Living costs (1 person)
$2,580/mo · derived
– $30,960
Savings potential
$823/mo · 24% of take-home
$9,878

Single professional, after-tax. Salary − tax − living costs = what you could save each year.

Full salary breakdown →Is this a good salary in Pittsburgh? →Compare Pittsburgh with another city →

How we calculated this

• Salary: BLS OES median for Illustrator, adjusted for Pittsburgh.

• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~20%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: derived from cost-of-living index for a single professional.

Planning estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026. Your situation will differ.