It'd really depend on the income. I currently live in San Carlos in a very small workshop that was converted into an in-law unit from the 1930s. I'm not at it y

It'd really depend on the income. I currently live in San Carlos in a very small workshop that was converted into an in-law unit from the 1930s. I'm not at it yet - but if I was guaranteed to get bay area FAANG level of pay - I might consider moving elsewhere. Until that happens - I'm staying within the region. I don't see a point to leave since pay will scale with where you go frequently enough and in most places - it's just not enough on a single household income. (Even here - it's almost impossible to buy a home in the peninsula on senior software engineer FAANG level of single income) Even then - I did like San Francisco a lot but only the parts you could get a nice place in. There are many areas of San Francisco that I don't like because they're just not nice. (Lots of crazy people yelling in the street, trash everywhere, bad smells, crime, loud in general, etc.) If I was able to afford living somewhere like Twin Peaks - I'd consider it... But last I checked, I'm a few million short. So, even if I was remote and made a lot of money, I'd probably still choose SF if I could while I didn't have kids. If I have kids and stop going out - I might like to live somewhere on the coast like Pacifica or Santa Cruz (Opal Cliffs). I want a very large workshop at some point - so I might have to move into the mountains. I've spent some time in a nice house there on a cliff in Santa Cruz - wouldn't mind that... But, again, missing a few million...