I think if you are working for a Google / Facebook and getting a wage adjustment, the end result would be about even. If you drop from $400,000 to $300,000, bu

I think if you are working for a Google / Facebook and getting a wage adjustment, the end result would be about even. If you drop from $400,000 to $300,000, but your rent goes down by $30,000 a year, and also your taxes go down from California rates then in the end things might even out give or take a few percent. However, if the choice is between working for a local company and working for a high end bay area firm, then absolutely the best financial move is to move to SF/Seattle/NYC. Local companies here top out at $150,000 for a senior engineer, so if I can make $400,000 in a big city, then even with the higher cost of living, I still would come out way ahead living in SF.