You don't need to be making $150k in Chicago to be doing better than Bay Area developers. It seems like it's not uncommon for junior level developers to make $75k in Chicago, but 1-bedroom apartments only cost somewhere between $1k and $2k/month depending on what neighborhood you live in. And I'm not surprised you haven't heard about jobs in Chicago. People on HN seem to be pretty down on Chicago, which in my opinion, is a shame.