55 isn't 30+ years away for me.
> this leads to higher property prices, which negatively impacts you as a first-time buyer.
And yet it still looks more affordable than SF.
> You don't have to retire in the Bay Area.
In which case, I have to account for housing expenses when looking at the salary in real terms, and deal with all of the problems related to rent i.e. rising costs, being kicked out, not worth investing in improving the property (from a quality of life perspective, not ROI).
> Most startups in the UK pay poorly, so I'm not sure this is a good point.
The one I am working at currently doesn't pay poorly. It's not my top SF salary but it's better than what I started on in SF. It's not FAANG.
> You can top that.
I just meant for an average person with a typical diversified investment portfolio and private pension, and in a way that you can actually plan for (private residence relief is not something that you could have reasonably planned for at the time of buying the house).