That's just not true.
If you're working in SF on 100k/year, your pay after tax is 5750. Spending 2k/month on rent leaves you with 3750/month, which is almost the pay before tax of someone on half that.
I'm not just talking about rent (which, incidentally, for my family, 2K per month is much lower than the rent we were looking at to accommodate our kids and private life without roommates in SF), but also about how much you spend on your transportation or gas every day, your healthcare premiums and deductibles, cost of groceries and entertainment, auto mortgages and/or insurance for 2 cars (because 1 car for a family wouldn't cut it there).... and the answer becomes obvious.
> many software developers in SV might make over 100K (most do) but have vastly less money left over to actually save compared to someone earning less than half that in other places.
Not that he couldn't afford to buy a substantial house in SF.
[0] https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/411A-Lincoln-Way-San-Fran...
Frankly a realistic number is $3000/mo for a 1BR and my point is that you could own an incredible home in most of the country for that price. People in SV have Stockholm Syndrome and justify the horrendous cost of living, rampant homelessness, insane working hours etc. with their cries of "but look at all my stock options!"
Meanwhile their counterparts in places like Austin make over $100k, can easily own a substantial home, have excellent life-work balance and shocker... have SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS as well.