Can a Research Scientist afford to live in Phoenix?

Excellent49% of take-home left to save — you can save aggressively here.
Median salary (gross)
Research Scientist · Phoenix
$83,548
Income tax (~24% effective)
United States
– $19,751
Take-home pay
$5,316/mo
$63,797
Living costs (1 person)
$2,720/mo · derived
– $32,640
Savings potential
$2,596/mo · 49% of take-home
$31,157

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

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

How we calculated this

• Salary: BLS OES median for Research Scientist, adjusted for Phoenix.

• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~24%). 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.