Can a Recruiter afford to live in Austin?

Excellent46% of take-home left to save — you can save aggressively here.
Median salary (gross)
Recruiter · Austin
$80,911
Income tax (~21% effective)
United States
– $16,820
Take-home pay
$5,341/mo
$64,091
Living costs (1 person)
$2,910/mo · curated
– $34,920
Savings potential
$2,431/mo · 46% of take-home
$29,171

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

Monthly cost breakdown · Austin

Rent (1-bed)$1,600
Groceries$380
Dining out$280
Transport$200
Utilities$140
Entertainment$180

No state income tax. Lower cost than coastal cities but rising fast.

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

How we calculated this

• Salary: BLS OES median for Recruiter, adjusted for Austin.

• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~21%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: hand-curated local budget for a single professional.

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