4 ms·

I certainly made a lot more in California but it’s not that great a spread with costs considered relative to the dramatic improvement in quality of life living

I certainly made a lot more in California but it’s not that great a spread with costs considered relative to the dramatic improvement in quality of life living in Vancouver. $200K is a lot of money. I save most of it because I literally have nothing to spend it on. In turn I get access to facilities and lifestyle opportunities that were simply not available in the valley. 100K more still wouldn’t get me that in the valley. Edit: my tax rate is also very comparable. BC income tax at 200K is very similar to California. Also, I eat out a lot and sales tax is only 5% on restaurants. Good restaurants are also cheaper here. Vancouver is really not the engineering wasteland people seem to think it is.

mattnewport 8y ago
I live in Vancouver too and it's a conscious choice of the lifestyle here over more money in the Bay Area or Seattle but I'm aware that it's quite a lot of money to give up. I think there are some indicators that salaries here are starting to rise due to the size of the gap but not enough that I don't still know plenty of people who have either left or are seriously considering it.
titanomachy 8y ago
I worked in Vancouver at a well-regarded company making under $100k CAD ($70k USD). I shopped around the job market there and didn't find anyone willing to pay over $110k. Everyone I talked to seemed to think my salary was competitive. I expanded my search to Seattle (2 hours' drive south of Vancouver) and received multiple offers over $200k USD. I'm making over three times as much as I could have in Vancouver. And my taxes are significantly lower. That said, I wouldn't mind moving back to Vancouver someday. Curious who is paying $200k in Vancouver, and also whether you are at the high-senior level that would net $400k+ at e.g. Google in the US. Interesting that we apparently saw two very different sides of the job market in Vancouver. Thanks for your perspective.

mattnewport 8y ago

I live in Vancouver too and it's a conscious choice of the lifestyle here over more money in the Bay Area or Seattle but I'm aware that it's quite a lot of money to give up. I think there are some indicators that salaries here are starting to rise due to the size of the gap but not enough that I don't still know plenty of people who have either left or are seriously considering it.

titanomachy 8y ago

I worked in Vancouver at a well-regarded company making under $100k CAD ($70k USD). I shopped around the job market there and didn't find anyone willing to pay over $110k. Everyone I talked to seemed to think my salary was competitive. I expanded my search to Seattle (2 hours' drive south of Vancouver) and received multiple offers over $200k USD. I'm making over three times as much as I could have in Vancouver. And my taxes are significantly lower. That said, I wouldn't mind moving back to Vancouver someday. Curious who is paying $200k in Vancouver, and also whether you are at the high-senior level that would net $400k+ at e.g. Google in the US. Interesting that we apparently saw two very different sides of the job market in Vancouver. Thanks for your perspective.