3 ms·

I know that was my point :) SF is MORE expensive than the most expensive cities (London, Paris) in Europe. So looking at the high salaries in SF and comparing t

I know that was my point :) SF is MORE expensive than the most expensive cities (London, Paris) in Europe. So looking at the high salaries in SF and comparing them to salaries in London/Paris isn't a fair comparison.

walshemj 11y ago
Actually I worded that wrong London is more expensive than SF and housing in the UK as a LOT more expensive than the USA property taxes are lower though
- k-mcgrady 11y ago
  From what I can see online rental prices in SF are definitely more expensive than London. I know a lot of/most consumer goods are cheaper in the US but then you have to factor in health insurance and transport (which is much better in London). Overall I guess the salary difference isn't completely justified by cost of living differences however in London working hours seem to be kept in most places (9am-6pm) and we get more holidays (typically 20 days + bank holidays - about 8 per year -) whereas people in the valley seem to get fewer holidays and work longer hours. Maybe that perception is wrong but if correct maybe that is what justifies the higher salary.
  - walshemj 11y ago
    I had a CTO at one job who had done the same role in the UK and USA in sv and his comment was he got no more work out of his US staff on 2 week vacations than he did out of his uk staff on 5 weeks.
  - walshemj 11y ago
    Have you seen what renting/buying costs are for central London! compared to the equivalent places in SF. Camden is well over $4k PCM in Belgravia its over 6k
    - k-mcgrady 11y ago
      I'm living in London and quite central too (Zone 2). Camden is expensive but you can get a 1br for $2000-25000 - I've been looking recently. And come on, Belgravia isn't really somewhere your average developer will be expecting to live. Of course it's expensive. It's round the corner from Westminster and Buckingham Palace. For a better comparison I live in a good area of East London, 20 mins on the tube from central. I share a 3 br apartment with 2 friends and pay about $800 per month.
      - walshemj 11y ago
        You have to compare like for like living out in zone 2/3 with 35/45 min commute is not the same as Central SF. That's like comparing costs in Bedford 65 miles away from London fast train take's 35 mins to St Pancras - Slow train is less than an hour to the city.
        k-mcgrady 11y ago
        >> "You have to compare like for like living out in zone 2/3 with 35/45 min commute is not the same as Central SF." I said Zone 2, 20 mins out. I guess it's really impossible to compare. London's a much bigger city with so much in the centre (tourist stuff in particular) that I don't think it would actually be very nice to live there. Whereas if I lived in SF I would like to live quite central.

walshemj 11y ago

Actually I worded that wrong London is more expensive than SF and housing in the UK as a LOT more expensive than the USA property taxes are lower though

k-mcgrady 11y ago
From what I can see online rental prices in SF are definitely more expensive than London. I know a lot of/most consumer goods are cheaper in the US but then you have to factor in health insurance and transport (which is much better in London). Overall I guess the salary difference isn't completely justified by cost of living differences however in London working hours seem to be kept in most places (9am-6pm) and we get more holidays (typically 20 days + bank holidays - about 8 per year -) whereas people in the valley seem to get fewer holidays and work longer hours. Maybe that perception is wrong but if correct maybe that is what justifies the higher salary.
- walshemj 11y ago
  I had a CTO at one job who had done the same role in the UK and USA in sv and his comment was he got no more work out of his US staff on 2 week vacations than he did out of his uk staff on 5 weeks.
- walshemj 11y ago
  Have you seen what renting/buying costs are for central London! compared to the equivalent places in SF. Camden is well over $4k PCM in Belgravia its over 6k
  - k-mcgrady 11y ago
    I'm living in London and quite central too (Zone 2). Camden is expensive but you can get a 1br for $2000-25000 - I've been looking recently. And come on, Belgravia isn't really somewhere your average developer will be expecting to live. Of course it's expensive. It's round the corner from Westminster and Buckingham Palace. For a better comparison I live in a good area of East London, 20 mins on the tube from central. I share a 3 br apartment with 2 friends and pay about $800 per month.
    - walshemj 11y ago
      You have to compare like for like living out in zone 2/3 with 35/45 min commute is not the same as Central SF. That's like comparing costs in Bedford 65 miles away from London fast train take's 35 mins to St Pancras - Slow train is less than an hour to the city.
      - k-mcgrady 11y ago
        >> "You have to compare like for like living out in zone 2/3 with 35/45 min commute is not the same as Central SF." I said Zone 2, 20 mins out. I guess it's really impossible to compare. London's a much bigger city with so much in the centre (tourist stuff in particular) that I don't think it would actually be very nice to live there. Whereas if I lived in SF I would like to live quite central.