Can a Research Scientist afford to live in San Diego?

Comfortable32% of take-home left to save — solid margin to save and invest.
Median salary (gross)
Research Scientist · San Diego
$91,655
Income tax (~31% effective)
United States
– $28,107
Take-home pay
$5,296/mo
$63,548
Living costs (1 person)
$3,580/mo · derived
– $42,960
Savings potential
$1,716/mo · 32% of take-home
$20,588

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

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

How we calculated this

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

• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~31%). 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.