[ZanyProgrammer]

Before I got my big break, I did a combo of working at Whole Foods and the Post 9/11 Gi Bill to make ends meat, and I was able to live in Silicon Valley (Mountain View and Sunnyvale) from 2008-2013. In the latter case, I was able to rent a room in a house in Sunnyvale for almost three years. I can't fathom how you spend your money if you make 130K and can't find a room in Santa Clara County. Its like...seriously, people get by with a lot less than 130K dev salaries, and I'll be blunt and say you're doing something wrong if you cant.

[ryandrake]

"A room in Santa Clara County" is fine for you. What about your spouse and two kids?

I don't see why a single, healthy guy without a lot of debt can't live quite well in the Bay Area for $130K. But, if you have 4 mouths to feed, paying a couple grand a month for student loans, starting to have old-person health problems, and/or have extended family to support, I can assure you you're not living the Zuckerbergs lifestyle on $130K.

[ZanyProgrammer]

If you have four mouths to feed, you better not expect to be treated as royalty making 130K in the Bay Area. Get your spouse to work, or just admit that you need to scale your spending habits downward.