Less 3k a month is in solid 1 bedroom territory for those neighborhoods these days. Around ~$2700 is what I'm seeing in my search for decent 1bedrooms in good SF neighborhoods.

That's still pretty crazy though. What if you had a kid(s)? That's $2700 a month that could be building equity somewhere else.

From what I have seen the salary spread between say SF and NYC is not enough to compensate for the higher rental costs in SF.

I don't know why you got down voted. You're absolutely right. Most everyone will tell you, "Its about maxing total compensation as much as you can to boost your overall earnings!"

Good luck with burning out at 35 with no passive income streams. I'd rather build equity, and even have a couple of rental properties from being a top 10% earner in a smaller area. That's a million dollar piggy bank being filled by someone else AND a passive income stream on which to retire.