Boston and SF are NOT comparable these days in terms of cost of living OR job market. Boston is probably #2, but it&#x27;s a fairly distant #2.<p>$250k is a normal salary for an engineer with say 10 years experience in the Bay Area. It won&#x27;t all be in a monthly paycheck, some of it will be in bonuses, restricted stock, etc., but it will be bankable and spendable annually, not locked away in illiquid assets (at least at a large company). Companies with long vesting schedules will supplement the early years with hiring bonuses until shares start to mature.<p>And this is why rent on a 2BR apartment in Mountain View will run you $3000 per month, and a 900 sq ft condo convenient to nothing in particular runs $850,000.