[timr]

"I researched living in Seattle for a while, so I definitely know how steep the difference is in cost of living. Sometimes I feel like it is a little overstated though."

Well, let me put it this way: I lived in Seattle for nearly a decade, and while it was expensive, my rent was less than half of what I'm paying now. I could live in my own apartment on a graduate student stipend (~$30k), and still save a bit each month. There's no way I could do that here.

It's tough to overstate the cost of living adjustment that's necessary to move to the bay area. It's insanely expensive.