As lotsofpulp said you'd be ahead by at least 50k with both spouses working even accounting for taxes at 40% which is almost certainly on the high side. Total t

As lotsofpulp said you'd be ahead by at least 50k with both spouses working even accounting for taxes at 40% which is almost certainly on the high side. Total tax rate for federal+state on the extra 150k is likely less but it depends on the exact situation. In reality that's just pure cash. You'd be ahead even more in terms of saving for retirement which can also lower your tax basis. Benefits might also be better - some employers cover a greater percentage of the employee's premium so having the 150k spouse covered under a different plan could save money. There may be other benefits worth considering. Also childcare at 40k is overpriced even for SF. All day preschool is 20-30k unless you're trying to get them into a super exclusive preschool as a status thing. Once they start real school you only need to cover after school care for 10-15k. So net take home would be more like 50-90k depending.