In San Francisco you need $4,225 for a 1br
http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2015/06/02/san-franciscos-...
That's not true at all. Check out Craigslist. You can still find one-bedrooms for under $3K.
Re:Gaming the H-1B system for good
by MagnumOpus on Thursday November 19, 2015 @03:56AM
(#10593570)
He talked about the median from Zillow. You are talking about the bottom decile 1-bed being hawked on Craigslist. Ask yourself, as a developer on six figures, would you want to live in the latter?
The bottom decile in SF is more like <$2,000/month. Or even <$1500.
$2500-$3000/month will get you a nice 1-bedroom in some of the more desirable neighborhoods.
I should know, I just spent a month finding one.
I think you are a bit off on both :)
Salary:
As a Software Engineer, chances are you can a bit more (especially including bonus + RSU). If you're "senior" you can earn quite a bit more.
Also: There are tons of other small perks that add up (phone/internet reimbursement, free food, public transport pass, free electric car charging, ...)
Rent:
You can currently get a 2 BR, 2 BR in Mountain View for about $3500 (managed newish building 2 minutes from Castro)
(Source: moved to Valley from Europe via Boston)