I live in the Atlanta area.  I could literally have the same job in the SF area (where I used to live) for 20% more - my company has an office in Palo Alto where there are people with the same job title and the same responsibilities.  However this would <i>more</i> than be eaten up by the increased cost of housing.  Say my take-home pay is 100 arbitrary units; my housing costs about 20, leaving 80 for everything else.  In the Bay Area I&#x27;d make 120 but I&#x27;d pay at least twice as much (40+) for comparable housing, leaving 80 or less for everything else (and everything else costs more there).  Salaries are higher in higher-cost markets but that difference usually doesn&#x27;t make up for the cost of living difference.