[win_ini]

This may work for a young, single person. I'm a Toronto native but I work remotely for a Toronto-based company after moving to SF several years ago. After having a kid, SF Bay Area becomes pretty unbearable - I've lived in the mission, Redwood City and Burlingame over the years - education expenses, commuting times and rent all add up. Even with my wife being a successful tech sales person and my decent but non-exceptional salary.

We moved to Lake Tahoe recently and it's been really nice - remote working is the best of both worlds. If you're a good engineer and can deal with working remote - it can be a great decision. Regular trips back to Toronto for work are a bonus - I get to see my family regularly.

I'm sure Waterlooser has become cooler since I last visited 15 years ago, but I suspect it's still not really comparable to downtown Toronto for a young single person. Maybe better for a family. But that wasn't the salary/living situation being compared.