I've never been asked what my living expenses are. I would have been flustered by that question as well, honestly, since it's not up to a company to try to some

I've never been asked what my living expenses are. I would have been flustered by that question as well, honestly, since it's not up to a company to try to somehow match my living expenses with their pay (unless you live in Japan as a salaryman, of course. patio11 wrote a very enlightening article about that, well worth a read to see the difference in cultures). Anyway, to answer the question. I have been asked many times what my salary was at my last company. I often reply with simply what I want and a range I will accept. "I received a number of raises and bonuses but I was at about $x. I will accept a range from you of $x to $x + y-k, depending on your benefits." I find the confidence wins over 9 out of 10 times. Additionally, I always have this conversation very early on. At this point I will ask in an initial conversation if we are on the same salary page, "Your company sounds interesting but because I am a <Senior, or whatever> level engineer I want to make sure we are on the same compensation page. I am currently at $x and I am looking for $x - $x + yk to move. What are you looking to pay for someone with my skill set?" Edit: I see someone really disagrees with certain viewpoints on this question. Would the down-voter like to share why they are down-voting?