That&#x27;s the big issue. Multiple $Ks&#x2F;mo in rent, if you haven&#x27;t already built up a nice nest egg, make it really hard to ride out a period of unemployment. (And, indeed, make it really risky to bet on something coming along if there&#x27;s a general downturn.)<p>I&#x27;m less convinced of the uniqueness of SV and the role of labor laws. Places like Massachusetts are doing pretty well these day. (And, indeed, housing near the city isn&#x27;t cheap either.) This in spite of EMC and certain other employers torpedoing anti-non-compete legislation. But, then, a lot of Boston-area employers don&#x27;t necessarily put non-compete&#x27;s in place even though they&#x27;re more enforceable than in CA.