[smivan]

Here are real numbers.

Background: Average of 10 programmers who range ages 22-25 and are 2-3 years out of college.

Base: 140k Bonus: 30k Equity: ~60k Total: $230k year pretax.

Taxes: - 33% federal bracket - 10% state bracket - 7% FICA+Medicaid. (50% total)

Brackets listed are marginal rates, actual rates are noted here: https://smartasset.com/taxes/california-tax-calculator#p9c7Y...

Let's run the math - $230k comp - $83k taxes = $147k/year - assuming no other expenses, no retirement savings and no other income, that's 147/12 = $12.2k/mo, post tax. At this point $5,500/rent is easy.

Realistically, the breakdown is more like this: $147k post tax income - $20k retirement - $18k food/drinks ($1500/mo in SF is reasonable) - $10k car payments - $10k insurance/misc = $89k/year

$89k / 12 = $7,400/mo post tax and expenses. A $5,500 rent is still doable, but again extremely stupid because you aren't saving.

[gbustomtv5]

20% bonus is not what mid engineers get.

60k equity is probaly over 4 years not 1. 60k over 4 years is actually close to average equity comp for 140k comp bracket.

You are off by 50k.

Signon bonuses can bring total comp to 200-210k.

Background: I write eng offers and know comp brackets.

[smivan]

I do not doubt your work experience, but I would like to respectfully point out that the data I have for those ~10 engineers does indeed match to the numbers I have presented.

Either way, with $200k salary the rent mentioned in the article is doable.

[ovi256]

> Taxes: ... (50% total)

> run the math - $230k comp - $83k taxes

Please fix this inconsistency.

[vertex-four]

It’s not an inconsistency because of how taxes work - the first $x gets taxed at a lower rate. Most of most people’s income is not taxed at their marginal tax rate.