Just don't fall for the fallacy I keep seeing of you need to stay in SF because you make more-I swear no one looks at total cost of living.
https://hired.com/blog/candidates/where-engineer-salaries-pay-highest-standard-living/
+1
i lived in Marin>SF>Florida>Minneapolis>NJ-NYC. i have a normal to good income for my age group.
so whoever wrote this article is in the right direction but not even close to the truth.
the picture is the same for SF and very similar for Minneapolis witch isn't as bad but in order for me to move to northern mid-west for good is only achievable with a good money factor.
If anybody considers moving to one of the big powerhouse cities do not even think about living as a single in the city at an income lower than 200k. the quality of living would be so bad, money can be spend so much better. whats the point of living there if you have to sacrifice for basic things.
Ive been to a girls place in a good part of Manhattan and the place was still a dump. the amount of $ she spend was only to justify with a 10 minute commute and a great location.
when i lived in Florida, had large one bedroom in luxury skyscraper in downtown, 15 commute, 20 min to the beach, 15 min to airport, cost of living was ok, safety was excellent, secure parking, my bike, 3 cars, whole foods around the corner, road were impeccable compare to the rest of the country i visited so far.
the only places (as single guy) i could afford to live a good enjoyable life (that is without living next to/in projects or 1,5h commute) was Florida or now NJ.
Even NJ/Bergen County is a stretch cause it very much similar or more expensive than Marin County for that matter. could never ever afford a house at my current income level.
i give you an example> there is NO WAY that you can find a decent place to live with a 39 minute commute and get away with 125k salary in NYC.... NOOOO WAY.
Even in shitty part of NJ you got to pay min. 2-3k per month to live in an area without "urban issues". if you lucky and you find that unicorn place you don't even make it trough the tunnel in a 39 minute commute. add another hour to get to your workplace in midtown.
finding you own place for 550k

maybe in some dump next to LIE, but might as well live in Stockton......at least the weather is nice and traffic doesn't suck.property tax is INSANE in most places. in general you can add another $500 to $1K to your mortgage each month to cover property tax depending on the place.
don't even start with roads and infrastructure, if Trump has one fact right its the third world airports and roads in the north east. phuck me dead, have you ever been to Newark or JFK?? its a disgrace ffs, thats what it is.
if you fly in from a foreign country and thats your first impression of the USA its a shame.
so to sum it up its all about the cost of living and how willing you are to sacrifice on your standards. for me its pretty clear, i have no desire to go back to SF or NYC other than for visit.