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It's not just COL, it's bang for your buck. I sold my car, moved to NYC, and found a nicer apartment in metro Brooklyn for the same price I was paying in SF.

I miss very few things about SF besides the weather, and if I missed it that much I would move to SoCal. The quality of life does not match the price.

Or learn how to manage monthly funds.

Examples?

Seattle is a lesser example. I say lesser because, relative to the other "second tier" cities, it's still pretty expensive.

Regardless, my take home pay stayed the same, and my rent went way down for a house instead of an apartment. My only regret is that I stayed in SF as long as I did.

Atlanta, Dallas,Austin, Raleigh, and Portland were on the top of my list as far as pay vs cost of living.

Baltimore/Washington DC area. Mostly government contracting stuff though.

DC native, former SF resident: not really, any more. You can swing it, but it won't be fun. It's more comparable to SF than it is to someplace like portland. At least DC/DMV proper. Once you get into the "baltimore" parts I imagine the costs plummet.