[hdhdhdd]

400k- taxes = 270k for joined filing

Monthly expenses = 3k mortgage+ 500 property taxes + 2k daycare for one child(or 529) + 1.5k for food and other = 84k

Without compounding interest you need 10 years to get 2m, and these salaries are for 5+ or more years of experience. (And you need down payment, etc.).

Living in those areas is expensive.

If you are making 500k, that's a different story :-)

[aiiane]

people never factor in healthcare into this calculus.

[hdhdhdd]

Yup, I forgot about it. 7-8k max out of pocket (in-network) for family. In some companies there is also some payment for the health plan out of pocket. But the diff here is that on HSA plans the out of pocket comes before taxes.