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What you are really saying is that the only people who can reasonably make it work are young people who have no family obligations and can live in ultra lean co

What you are really saying is that the only people who can reasonably make it work are young people who have no family obligations and can live in ultra lean conditions. I guarantee you that anything you can do in SF to save money be that having lots of roommates, forgoing a car, etc... you can do in other metro areas of the US. I'm not knocking people who make the choice to do that but don't delude yourself; on a purly financial basis it is not a rational choice.

askafriend 9y ago
I can do that in other metro areas, but I can't earn >$200k a year easily in other metro areas - not even close. Also don't forget about the beautiful weather year-round. I will have retirement money in my mid 30s and by 40 I can comfortably retire provided that I don't get hit by a car or suffer one of life's many random tragedies. If I have a significant other who is also a high earner, then ironically both of our cost of living will go down because of things like splitting rent, splitting groceries, making food at home (easier to shop groceries for 2+ people). A dual income household in SF with good career trajectories can easily put you in the half-a-mil a year range. It's the kids that make this infinitely more difficult. At that point I'd probably consider moving to a lower COL place. But I'm not sure I want kids - that's a decision for later. As much as people love to knock on SF, I have a great life here and so do so many others. It's absolutely possible if you're a decent software engineer which is the lens through which I write this comment. Obviously if you're making $60k a year in a commoditized career, you're going to have a bad time. Also if home ownership is that important to you for some reason, then SF probably isn't the place for you either.
- pmorici 9y ago
  Here is one example that I'm aware of. I have friends who live in Baltimore and make over $200k+ as software engineers. One guy likes to be thrifty so he bought a house for $150k because it was cheaper than renting. You can't tell me that he would be better off in SF. He would need to be making over $300k to be in a similar financial position. No Startup is going to pay him that kind of money. I agree the weather is often nice and I love visiting SF but that's a non financial reason.
  - askafriend 9y ago
    If your friend is really pulling in $200k+ in Baltimore, and the reason is because he is very experienced and talented, I can promise him there is a $300k+ compensation package waiting for him in SF. $200k is just a bit above new grad comp at a place like Google or Facebook. If he values home ownership, then Baltimore is much better situation for him for sure. If he doesn't, then it becomes much more of a tossup at that point and more variables come into play.
    - pmorici 9y ago
      We aren't talking about Google and Facebook. We are talking about a _startup_ I don't doubt that Google Facebook, Apple, etc... pay that much.

askafriend 9y ago

I can do that in other metro areas, but I can't earn >$200k a year easily in other metro areas - not even close. Also don't forget about the beautiful weather year-round. I will have retirement money in my mid 30s and by 40 I can comfortably retire provided that I don't get hit by a car or suffer one of life's many random tragedies. If I have a significant other who is also a high earner, then ironically both of our cost of living will go down because of things like splitting rent, splitting groceries, making food at home (easier to shop groceries for 2+ people). A dual income household in SF with good career trajectories can easily put you in the half-a-mil a year range. It's the kids that make this infinitely more difficult. At that point I'd probably consider moving to a lower COL place. But I'm not sure I want kids - that's a decision for later. As much as people love to knock on SF, I have a great life here and so do so many others. It's absolutely possible if you're a decent software engineer which is the lens through which I write this comment. Obviously if you're making $60k a year in a commoditized career, you're going to have a bad time. Also if home ownership is that important to you for some reason, then SF probably isn't the place for you either.

pmorici 9y ago
Here is one example that I'm aware of. I have friends who live in Baltimore and make over $200k+ as software engineers. One guy likes to be thrifty so he bought a house for $150k because it was cheaper than renting. You can't tell me that he would be better off in SF. He would need to be making over $300k to be in a similar financial position. No Startup is going to pay him that kind of money. I agree the weather is often nice and I love visiting SF but that's a non financial reason.
- askafriend 9y ago
  If your friend is really pulling in $200k+ in Baltimore, and the reason is because he is very experienced and talented, I can promise him there is a $300k+ compensation package waiting for him in SF. $200k is just a bit above new grad comp at a place like Google or Facebook. If he values home ownership, then Baltimore is much better situation for him for sure. If he doesn't, then it becomes much more of a tossup at that point and more variables come into play.
  - pmorici 9y ago
    We aren't talking about Google and Facebook. We are talking about a _startup_ I don't doubt that Google Facebook, Apple, etc... pay that much.