You don't need bay area dev wages to save up that much. But if you want to do that, you also shouldn't be making large financial mistakes like buying new cars,

You don't need bay area dev wages to save up that much. But if you want to do that, you also shouldn't be making large financial mistakes like buying new cars, houses that are too large for your needs, etc. And it really helps if you have an SO to split costs with, or roommates. I'm sure many people don't want to do that, but it's not all that hard if you're a developer making an above average salary elsewhere.