A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL
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Re: A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL
#2Comparing salaries across borders based on that day's exchange rate is dumb. It's swung between 70 cents and parity in the last decade
Re: A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL
#3Comparing salaries across borders based on that day's exchange rate is dumb. It's swung between 70 cents and parity in the last decade
Unless your plan is to save most of your income and move back to Canada after working in the US the amount you make in CAD isn't really relevant at all, the purchasing power of your income net taxes and rent is most relevant.
Also, my experience is that the expenses don't line up either. I could be wrong but having moved from Toronto to Chicago and now the SF Bay area, other than rent in SF area, living in Canada is often more expensive, specifically: gas, food, travel (partly due to weak CAD and expensive flights), not adjusting for the currency since you are paid in CAD and also paid less.
Re: A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL
#4Comparing salaries across borders based on that day's exchange rate is dumb. It's swung between 70 cents and parity in the last decade
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Re: A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL
#5Wow. Anyone who lives in Canada must get out quick. Time to go where the salaries are higher and not a backwater.
Re: A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL
#6I find it an odd choice to single out SF for the title (currently "A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL"), given that the data show that Seattle pay after tax and COL is almost 2.4x Toronto.
Re: A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL
#7I find it an odd choice to single out SF for the title (currently "A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL"), given that the data show that Seattle pay after tax and COL is almost 2.4x Toronto.
That's not true, total compensation in the article is ~1.7 more in SF than Toronto, but that includes stock options which are not actually the same as cash. The 2x figure comes from an analysis that factors in living expenses and refers to the amount of money you get left over for savings and similar things. Also, that comparison oddly compares living in a frat-like house in SF to having your own one bedroom apartment in Toronto.
Re: A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL
#8I find it an odd choice to single out SF for the title (currently "A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL"), given that the data show that Seattle pay after tax and COL is almost 2.4x Toronto.
That's not true, total compensation in the article is ~1.7 more in SF than Toronto, but that includes stock options which are not actually the same as cash. The 2x figure comes from an analysis that factors in living expenses and refers to the amount of money you get left over for savings and similar things. Also, that comparison oddly compares living in a frat-like house in SF to having your own one bedroom apartmen…
Not to mention the salary difference will get soaked up by real estate differences the moment you decide to buy a house.
Not that Toronto real estate is cheap either. I think Google Waterloo is a great value: high CAD salary but low real estate prices (around half of Toronto).
The optimal play (if you don't want to permanently live in the US) is to go to SF, continue living like a student and sock away your cash while building your reputation, then move back to Canada and work remote with a grandfathered USD salary.
Re: A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL
#9Well this is case with every country which is not US. Software salaries are much higher in US even after considering all different parameters e.g. PPP, currency exchange, housing cost, health insurance and so on.
Re: A new grad SDE makes 2x more in SF than Toronto after tax and COL
#10The author says in the middle of the post:
" I believe this is the key in retaining young Canadian tech talent in Canada. If an intern has a great experience at a Canadian tech company, they are more likely to sacrifice the additional compensation in US to remain in Canada. Sell them on the culture, not the money."
And then says:
" Tech CEOs in Canada often complain about the brain drain issue, but only a few companies like Shopify and Wealthsimple are actually putting money where their mouth is."
Really, if you wanna "Sell" them on something, it should be the money, sure I'd go for culture if we are talking 10-15% salary difference, but if it's 50%, I'll find something that pays 50% more with a decent culture.