Can a Research Scientist afford to live in San Francisco?
Comfortable32% of take-home left to save — solid margin to save and invest.
Median salary (gross)
Research Scientist · San Francisco
$116,069
Income tax (~33% effective)
United States
– $38,427
Take-home pay
$6,470/mo
$77,642
Living costs (1 person)
$4,400/mo · curated
– $52,800
Savings potential
$2,070/mo · 32% of take-home
$24,842
Single professional, after-tax. Salary − tax − living costs = what you could save each year.
Monthly cost breakdown · San Francisco
Rent (1-bed)$2,800
Groceries$500
Dining out$400
Transport$200
Utilities$150
Entertainment$200
One of the most expensive cities globally. Rent alone is $2,800+/mo for 1BR.
Full salary breakdown →Is this a good salary in San Francisco? →Compare San Francisco with another city →
How we calculated this
• Salary: BLS OES median for Research Scientist, adjusted for San Francisco.
• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~33%). 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.