[joesmo]

He says he's just slightly north of $100k (six figures) which I assume somewhere around $125. I'm certain he can get a similar salary in many parts of the country if he's a good SRE, at the very least: Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Dallas, Austin, DC, NYC, Philadelphia, Boston, San Diego, LA (those are the markets I'm familiar with from my job searches). Other cities might be slightly lower, but still right around $100k. Compared to the difference in cost of living (a few hundred percent now), it's essentially the same salary as the bay area most anywhere else without the expenses.

[bbctol]

Well, then he should take those jobs and move there. Of course, he might also consider living in the Bay itself to be a benefit, which has also been priced into the model: the cost of receiving that benefit is just... the cost of living in the Bay.