Bay Area Cost of Living

There must be a study out there demonstrating that people systematically undervalue (or outright neglect) cost-of-living in a region when taking a job offer. One of my friends graduated from my phd prog (uc san diego) a few months ago and immediately took a job offer in SF. He said it was his best offer by more than $20k/yr. Every time I've spoken with him since, he complains about how expensive it is to live there and how much he pays for rent for an apartment in Berkeley area. Though

Remember: the bay area is a ridiculously expensive place to live. This is an area where a small house in the burbs with a bad commute will start around $600,000. My rent (in a marginal neighborhood in SF) is more than a mortgage payment in most parts of the country.Depending on where you live, $70k may easily match the spending power of 150k in the valley.

The median home price for the SF Bay Area is roughly $1.4M -- that means this sort of role is the bottom of who could afford a home alone. Making half as much money somewhere else is likely going to provide a higher quality of life than barely being able to break into the Bay Area housing market and potentially needing a long commute to your "desirable" job. This was not the case for the previous generations of engineers moving to the Bay Area.

You are probably earning a better income than $250k in silicon valley where housing is $700-$1600 a sq ft to buy.

That's almost exactly the median household income for the city, so it's pretty normal to live in SF on that salary. Mostly among people not in tech or finance, though, so may depend on one's social circles (it's easier to live more cheaply if your friends aren't making six figures).

You need some perspective you are completely screwed up! $120k at FAANG is like minimum wage in the Bay area; the poverty rate in San Jose is $95k for a family of four. We with $120k you can look forward to renting a 1-bedroom apartment all your life ... The bay area is like living in Tokyo...

What good is a 150-200K base salary if you have to pay Bay Area prices for everything?

I aim to earn about 50K a year. That's my treading-water level. Does that sound doable? My wife and I have discovered that it is possible to lead a rich life within that income in the Bay Area -- international travel, more books than we have time for, eating well with friends and so on. Insurance comes out of this amount as well.A young person with desired skills could easily be making more than twice this amount in the Bay Area. Owning a house is strictly optional (and a bit mad, to own

In the Bay Area, mid career elite engineers make $300k - $800k. That's why you see a lot of spending. They might be saving, too, because they can afford it...

Glassdoor estimates are low, and they do not include equity, bonuses, etc, which can easily add up to more than the base. How do you think all those people are paying their insane rent? The best set up is to get Bay Area money without living there. It’s doable. :-)