I save between 2k and 3k every month in SF, after tax and rent and food and utilities and going out with friends and treating myself a bit more than I should. I

I save between 2k and 3k every month in SF, after tax and rent and food and utilities and going out with friends and treating myself a bit more than I should. I live in Oakland (cheaper), but my pay is slightly below industry average (and my BART costs as a result are ~200$ a month, and I eat out for lunch every day - that's easily $300 or so a month). I don't think I'd be able to do that on a $60k salary, no matter where in the US. The reality is that most engineers spend way too much money and call it "the cost of living in SF". Sorry, living in a swanky apartment in SoMa, eating out every night, pre-ordering hipster shit on kickstarter, taking Uber all the time and going to Tahoe on the weekends is not "the cost of living in SF". You can save money in SF very nicely if that's a goal of yours. If you prefer living a more hip lifestyle, that's fine- but don't say that it's "the cost of living in SF".