I moved to Europe a few years ago, though entirely for personal reasons and not because of the cost of living in the SF Bay Area. I'm sure I'd be making more m

I moved to Europe a few years ago, though entirely for personal reasons and not because of the cost of living in the SF Bay Area. I'm sure I'd be making more money if I'd stayed, but I'm also pretty sure I wouldn't have the same quality of life. I know others who did the same thing, and are doing fine over here ("here" being mostly Berlin but also further afield). I think the trick is to know what you're moving for, as opposed to what you're moving away from. In most cases you will make less money, at least over time, and miss out on career opportunities. But there are other opportunities people in SF are missing out on. And as others have said, the income difference can easily be balanced out by a cost-of-living difference.