True, but pay isn't the only thing to take into account. Work-life balance, training opportunities, having to be on-call or not and being compensated if so, and

True, but pay isn't the only thing to take into account. Work-life balance, training opportunities, having to be on-call or not and being compensated if so, and promotional opportunities that can get you into a higher bracket with the former benefits included, and being somewhere where you feel stable are non-pay-related worth considering. Once you reach the point where you can "afford" the Bay Area, Quality of Life becomes pretty important IMHO.