[ryukoposting]

One thing I have observed so far in SV (haven't been here long) is that folks who work in big tech but aren't from the US don't fully understand the difference in costs depending where you live in the US. I have to wonder if that informs the decision to stay in SV no matter what the work is.

Like, intellectually they know that it costs less to live in Beaverton Michigan than it costs to live in Palo Alto. But the magnitude of that difference, and how that scales your income needs, they've never thought to do the math. It doesn't scale proportionally, and that's counterintuitive.

This isn't a dig against anyone, and exceptions abound. But when I told my foreign-born SV-lifer colleagues how much my rent was in Wisconsin, you'd have thought I was the one from a foreign country!

[siren2026]

But if you work in tech your rent barely makes a difference?

If you are a senior engineer and make 350k$/year (Meta is more like 500k$/year) and you pay 5000$/month for rent and could potentially pay 2500$/month instead in a MCOL, that's only 30k$/year of savings? Negligible compared to your income.

And on top of that most companies will cut your income for moving to a MCOL/LCOL by more than those savings.

If anything it is an argument to stay in SV!

[zeroonetwothree]

Apart from housing the costs aren’t that much more. You pay the same to travel. You pay the same to buy stuff online. Food is maybe slightly more but it’s not that significant.

Once you get past being able to afford housing it’s insanely lucrative. It’s harder for entry level people of course.

[siren2026]

I have had that discussion multiple times with people. They all seem to think you absolutely need to live in a 5 bedroom 5m$ house in Palo Alto (because how else are you going to live?).

But if you rent a normal 2BR for 4000$ in the Bay area, and could potentially rent the same for 1500$ in a LCOL, that is a minimal saving compared to your income. Everything else stays mostly the same. An on top of that most companies will give you a paycut.

But for some reason people think you are going to be a king just by moving to LCOL. I think it is the opposite

Now, if you get bamboozled into buying a 5000 sqft house like the average american does, then yes, big savings in a LCOL.

[ryukoposting]

This is exactly what I'm talking about.

$1600 will get you a respectable 2-bedroom apartment in a decent neighborhood in Chicago, which most certainly isn't LCOL. If you want your 5-bedroom mcmansion in Northbrook or your artsy flat in Wicker Park, then yeah that'll cost more - see your point about houses in Palo Alto.

A downright nice 2-bedroom apartment in the heart of Rochester MN will run you $1300/mo tops, and $1000/mo is well within reason.

I had to do this math fairly recently. For me, moving from a relatively pricey part of the midwest, the number was 2.2x my income for SV to be viable. Now that I live here, I find that I actually undershot a little, and it's more like 2.4x to break even. I thought groceries and restaurants and such would be roughly the same. They aren't.

[ryukoposting]

Groceries cost anywhere between 25% and 100% more depending on the item (200% more if you shop at Safeway). Gas costs ~50% more. Electric is 200% more unless you live in Santa Clara, in which case it's roughly normal. Water costs more.

All forms of labor cost more (handyman, mechanic, etc). Fast food costs more, normal restaurants cost more.

And that's all before you consider CA sales tax.

But yeah flights are the same so it's basically the same. Sure.

The only thing that's cheaper here than in a flyover state is lemons, as far as I can tell.

Also remember that your net income does not scale proportionally to your gross income. The math still works out, but "rent is more and that's it" doesn't even get close to an accurate picture.

And sure, a Porsche in California costs the same as a Porsche in Kansas, but if you're in "porsche ownership" territory then none of this matters to you, no matter where you live.

[siren2026]

>> Groceries cost anywhere between 25% and 100% more depending on the item (200% more if you shop at Safeway). Gas costs ~50% more. Electric is 200% more unless you live in Santa Clara, in which case it's roughly normal. Water costs more.

This thread is about someone working at Meta or similar FAANG. At those levels you make around 500k$/year as an engineer (a lot of times more).

What you are highlighting above is at maximum a difference of ~1000$/month of increase... 12k$/year. That is almost insignificant.

And you forgot to mention that those companies will bump your salary by 10-20% if you move to the Bay Area. Which covers more than the difference.

[ryukoposting]

> At those levels you make around 500k$/year as an engineer (a lot of times more).

...no? I've not been acquainted with anyone at any of those companies making more than $330k who isn't a senior manager. Rank-and-file devs (who aren't getting laid off left and right) are high-200s.

And to return to the original point, it's not that you take home more cash elsewhere, obviously that isn't true. it's that what cash you have left goes further than it does in SV. The number you see on a job listing in middle america looks a lot lower than it actually is.

[siren2026]

.... yes?

https://www.levels.fyi/?tab=levels&compare=Meta%2CSpectrum%2...

That is the starting package for a senior engineer at Meta. Most of them are in their mid-20s. Other FAANGs have similar pay.

Anyone that started more than 2 years ago also includes a crazy amount of stock growth as part of the package.