You can live decently in the valley on a lot less than 300k. Speaking from experience, even 90k is perfectly comfortable.
Based on the salaries of my friends in SF, $150k is a very reasonable salary that allows a fantastic lifestyle.
Based on the salaries of my friends in SF, $150k is a very reasonable salary that allows a fantastic lifestyle.
No, maybe you aren't going to $100/plate restaurants every night or living in a $5000/month luxury studio, but there are plenty of great apartments in Oakland (where I live) for $1500-2000/month.
What's actually started to become jarring is the difference between SF proper and the rest of the region. SF rents seem to be almost 2x comparable places in the East Bay, plus the general price level is higher from Prop C and all the other insane junk the electorate wants. 2x the cost and the city is rapidly becoming a tent camp, I'm happy to live a little farther out and commute to work 1-2x/week when I'm not WFH.