I'm not sure if that math checks out. What are usual starting salaries in SF for mid level engineers?

I've heard of junior engineers making anywhere from $60k - $110k, usually on the higher end of that range.

Personally, I wouldn't live in San Francisco itself. I live in Alameda (quiet small island life ftw) and that lets me save quite a bit every month.

When I was a junior engineer, I was making 115k in SF. On average I'd put 2-2.5k/month into savings.

When I was a starting developer in Oklahoma, making just a smidgen more than half of that I was saving the same ($55k-$60k). Worked barely 40 hours per week and lived in an apartment less than a block from work.

I left because I wanted and liked living in the middle of the city and wanted a change. I'm in Austin now and I feel like downtown Austin offers a nice compromise between expense of living and salary and tech community (like minded individuals) when compared to San Francisco. My salary is similar to what I was offered in San Francisco (almost negligible difference), but my apartment is substantially nicer than anything I had a fighting chance for in San Francisco. I bike or walk everywhere and don't need or use a car. I'm very close to feeling like I've hit the sweet spot and being content.