Not tying my job to expensive urban markets would help! But I'm hesitant to describe my salary needs in terms of my household costs. I want to get paid by the

Not tying my job to expensive urban markets would help! But I'm hesitant to describe my salary needs in terms of my household costs. I want to get paid by the value I bring first and foremost. And, similarly, what the market clearing rate for an engineer with my capabilities is. Not "market rate" unless I'm truly a median engineer, especially since companies tend to be underinformed about market rates.