If you're going weeks without going into the city, why not live somewhere else instead of paying still really high rents (and yes, Brooklyn rents are still usually high compared to everywhere else but Manhattan.)
Great parties, concert venues, cafes, restaurants, parks, bars, and lots and lots of super talented people ranging from musicians in Williamsburg to artists in Bushwick. NYC is more than just Manhattan. It's also easier to bike around.
It's like thinking that the Bay Area is just San Francisco and that there is no reason to live in the BA if you don't go to SF.
I love Brooklyn, but the rents aren't _that_ different from Manhattan if you're in the "hot" areas. Maybe 30% cheaper, but not 70%. Yeah, there are 'low' rents if you're willing to live an hour outside the city, but if you're in Williamsburg or Park Slope, it's not really appreciably cheaper.
And at least for software engineers, you probably _do_ make more in SF than NY, since it's a much more competitive job market for hiring a good software engineer. Just look at the wars that have been going on between FB and Google over hiring top talent. There's still nothing like that in NY.
I came to New York for work, but stayed for the people. Most of my friends live in nearby neighborhoods or clos-ish areas of Brooklyn. Certainly if I worked in the city I'd socialize a bit more there, but I'm not going out of my way to go in on a regular basis.
My rent is probably about 30% cheaper than the equivalent place in Manhattan, and that's savings of about $475 a month, which is nothing to scoff at.
Great parties, concert venues, cafes, restaurants, parks, bars, and lots and lots of super talented people ranging from musicians in Williamsburg to artists in Bushwick. NYC is more than just Manhattan. It's also easier to bike around.
It's like thinking that the Bay Area is just San Francisco and that there is no reason to live in the BA if you don't go to SF.