Honestly, I would consider a move from X salary in the midwest to X+Y salary in the Bay Area/NYC/Seattle or any other tier 1 city an upgrade even if the salarie

Honestly, I would consider a move from X salary in the midwest to X+Y salary in the Bay Area/NYC/Seattle or any other tier 1 city an upgrade even if the salaries may end up being almost the same adjusted for cost of living. That's just my personal view though. I like being in a major city (SF). It's awesome being around an abundance of opportunity though there are many tradeoffs to living here. If I were to move, I'd probably go to another tier 1 city like New York or Seattle for a change of pace. I'm sure there are many who feel the same way.