If you play your cards right, half a million after benefits and stocks are consider is within reach for engineers. Director level and up and it’s very attainable. The Bay Area isn’t perfect, but it has a lot to offer for many, especially if you’re in the top 10% or so of earners out here. If you make minimum wage out here it’s probably awful aside from the weather and how nice and relaxed people generally are compared to the rest of the US, though I’ve seen that slipping in the past 5 years, especially on the road — it seems like there are a lot more angry drivers now than even a few years ago.