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In Bay Area, six-figure salaries are “low income”

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101–110 of 428 posts

Re: In Bay Area, six-figure salaries are “low income”

#101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did the exact same thing this year. Moved to Oviedo, FL from SF: 1) no state income tax, 2) public schools in my neighborhood are equivalent to a private school in sf [i] 4) weather is great 8 months out of year, 5) beaches you can swim in, 6) rent is ~1/4 of what it was in SF, 7) cuban food, 8) as a resident, kids have year round disney passes [i] http://school-ratings.com/Florida/schools/Carillon_Elementar... WARNI…

Sidebar / off topic: highly recommend the cuban espresso in Florida if you're into coffee...blew me away when I had it for the first time, and is one of the top reasons I look forward to travelling there.

Colada is life for me in Miami. 4-5 shots of Cafe Cubano to share with friends, or just drink yourself and feel the buzz.

Re: In Bay Area, six-figure salaries are “low income”

#102

Let's set aside cost of living in the Bay for a second. Here's a completely taboo subject. At what point do we hold people accountable for their reproductive choices? You want to have 2, 4, 6 children in the most expensive slice of land in the US? Great, but please bear in mind that choice comes with real financial consequences to your lifestyle and you should not expect the state to bail you out of it.

Yes, all the smartest, most capable people should stop having kids. Considering intelligence is something like 85% hereditary, that will work out excellently!

Re: In Bay Area, six-figure salaries are “low income”

#103
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did the exact same thing this year. Moved to Oviedo, FL from SF: 1) no state income tax, 2) public schools in my neighborhood are equivalent to a private school in sf [i] 4) weather is great 8 months out of year, 5) beaches you can swim in, 6) rent is ~1/4 of what it was in SF, 7) cuban food, 8) as a resident, kids have year round disney passes [i] http://school-ratings.com/Florida/schools/Carillon_Elementar... WARNI…

Very tempted to visit Florida

As a Fl native, it's a great place to live. The political situation sucks, but ya can't have everything.

Edit: Some tips for visitors.

Most beaches are beautiful and most have free access. Enjoy, but wear sunscreen (and keep reapplying). Oh and bring lots of water; playing at the beach dehydrates you fast. If you pick a Gulf Coast beach (Clearwater is nice), as you enter the water, skoot your feet on the sand. That flutter you feel across the top of your foot is a minor stingray. Won't hurt you unless you step on it.

Don't bring an umbrella. The lightning here will kill you. Just plan on not being outside in the summer during the hours of 2pm - 6pm.

Georgia drivers ... can't. I jest. But seriously...

UF and FSU football... you will get so tired of seeing those school colors.

:)

Re: In Bay Area, six-figure salaries are “low income”

#104
post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did the exact same thing this year. Moved to Oviedo, FL from SF: 1) no state income tax, 2) public schools in my neighborhood are equivalent to a private school in sf [i] 4) weather is great 8 months out of year, 5) beaches you can swim in, 6) rent is ~1/4 of what it was in SF, 7) cuban food, 8) as a resident, kids have year round disney passes [i] http://school-ratings.com/Florida/schools/Carillon_Elementar... WARNI…

That sounds great, but one of the common rebuttals is that the job market (remote or otherwise) may be more challenging outside of the Bay Area.

As a full time work-from-home person for the past 8 years I'd love for that to continue to be most people's assumption. :)

Re: In Bay Area, six-figure salaries are “low income”

#105
post #16

Interestingly similar discussion going around in the UK at the moment after a UK MP came out saying that '£70,000' salary makes you 'rich'. 70k as a single income won't get you a flat in London in any reasonable time and you'll most certainly be renting forever on that kind if money in London. Even if its triple the average UK wage. Location means everything.

FYI: £70k = £4000 per month after taxes.

Re: In Bay Area, six-figure salaries are “low income”

#106
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The median annual family income (for a whole family including all earners) is 50k. 100k for a family is in the top 20% of NYC.

Well to really answer the question we have to define what we mean by "middle-class," which is often deliberately left so nebulous that it covers practically everyone besides the homeless and the stratospherically wealthy.

You also have to define "NYC"; this includes outer boroughs like the Bronx where incomes and rents are MUCH lower. If you restrict yourself to Manhattan or a couple outlying areas in Brooklyn/Queens that are considered desirable, the numbers change quite dramatically.

Re: In Bay Area, six-figure salaries are “low income”

#107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just curious, as an engineer finding myself thinking along similar lines, where did you end up moving?

Just remember that you'll want to select a city that has a decent economy and tech scene in the event that you lose your job and need to take a location dictated position. So long as you and your partner are both making 6 figures you should be able to afford any of the following cities: - Seattle - Portland - Austin - Denver

Most of southern New Hampshire is within commuting distance of Boston - plus there are no income taxes. Housing is a little pricey, but not compared to Bay Area prices. A 200k+ household income would let you live like kings.

Re: In Bay Area, six-figure salaries are “low income”

#108

Why would a young professional person want to live anywhere where earning 100k + is not enough when they could live in quite a few other states and earn a 100k + enjoying a cost of living that is 1/3 of what it is in SF or NYC? My wife and I both make well into the 6 figures working at boring corporations enjoying a lifestyle where we would have to earn the equivalent of 7 figures in the Bay Area or NYC. There are a…

Young people are likely to trade away living standards for living where they see the largest future potential, professional or otherwise. I think that's quite natural.

Re: In Bay Area, six-figure salaries are “low income”

#109
post #36
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Once upon a time, a family of four had the same number of working adults as a family of one.

Yes, but any spare income earned by multiple working adults in a family will eventually be siphoned up by either landlords, or banks.

Um what!? My family has two incomes. We save the entire second income (before taxes) and then some. Not to mention interest rates are at historic lows.

(PS, people's spending tends to match their income no matter how high the income, it's called lifestyle inflation)

Re: In Bay Area, six-figure salaries are “low income”

#110

Wow, this resonates with me. In 2013 my wife and I were living in the Bay Area and had just welcomed our third child into the family. I was making 105k/yr at Apple (which seemed like a ton at the time!) but I felt like I was saving very little of that. I was approached on LinkedIn to take a job with matching pay but that was fully remote. I could live anywhere I wanted in the entire country. I jumped at the chance an…

Vermont has an amazing community of remote engineers, reasonable housing prices, and some of the best public schools in the country.

Come and enjoy the outdoors, food, and amazing beer with us.

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