Life Scientists, All Other Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $81K, rent takes 25.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,415/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new life scientists, all others typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,193/month. At HUD’s $1,415/month FMR, rent would take 65% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 13% below the national median — $81K here vs. $94K nationally. Cost of living is 9% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.

Texas pays $81K median vs. the U.S. average of $94K — that’s -13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.49), the purchasing-power equivalent is $89K — below the national median.

The median is $81,230 a year, that works out to about $39 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,550, and experienced life scientists, all others can clear $107,830. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,461/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,415/month, which eats 25.9% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Texas has a Regional Price Parity of 91.49 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median life scientists, all other salary is worth about $88,786 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.