> Not sure the level of living is better than getting non-SV payment while paying non-SV prices.
SV prices apply to housing. Everything else you buy -- cars, computers, phones, clothing, food, etc. costs about the same everywhere. A Honda Civic or Tesla Model S, or an iPhone, or anything you see on Amazon, costs about the same in California and anywhere else in the country.
On an SV engineering salary, you end up in a situation where your housing is expensive but almost everything else feels very cheap. And you end up putting more money in savings, even after paying for housing, than most people could ever do. Early retirement is definitely achievable too.
People are also completely missing the entire point of what I'm saying too. SV attracts a different kind of person. Your colleagues, neighbors, and peers are just wildly different than what you'd find in a midwestern governmental position.
Again - it's like comparing doctors to electricians. They are a very different set of people. If you don't care about those things then fine - but for those of us who want to be surrounded by those who are similar to us... Living in SV is kinda the only option.
SV prices apply to housing. Everything else you buy -- cars, computers, phones, clothing, food, etc. costs about the same everywhere. A Honda Civic or Tesla Model S, or an iPhone, or anything you see on Amazon, costs about the same in California and anywhere else in the country.
On an SV engineering salary, you end up in a situation where your housing is expensive but almost everything else feels very cheap. And you end up putting more money in savings, even after paying for housing, than most people could ever do. Early retirement is definitely achievable too.