[acchow]

All the top tech companies will cover the health insurance bill. This does not come out of your compensation. You do not get taxed on this benefit.

Taxes in California are high, though not higher than in the UK.

Bigger house? Better schools for kids? Not really. Maybe if you're in the top 5% of engineers.

Holidays? You can do pretty much anything you want anywhere you want for holiday. Almost everywhere in the world is cheap compared to living costs in the Bay Area.