Can a K-12 Teacher afford to live in Austin?

Comfortable29% of take-home left to save — solid margin to save and invest.
Median salary (gross)
K-12 Teacher · Austin
$59,695
Income tax (~18% effective)
United States
– $10,718
Take-home pay
$4,081/mo
$48,977
Living costs (1 person)
$2,910/mo · curated
– $34,920
Savings potential
$1,171/mo · 29% of take-home
$14,057

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 K-12 Teacher, adjusted for Austin.

• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~18%). 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.