Probably everyone here can make low six figures without trying. But many want to make 400k a year. So they are trying. I'm done with the rat race myself. Physically, I'm in better shape than almost all of the try hards at work.
I can’t easily make six figures, nor can SWEs in many other places of the world.
With that said, I do enjoy more leisure (4 day workweek). I know that’s a privilege as well.
Greetings from Europe
Check out the salaries on levels.fyi
And no, it is not reasonable to make 100k in the Midwest instead. Unless you're buying like $50,000 worth of gas and eggs per year, you're going to save WAY more in the SF Bay Area and reclaim years of your life by retiring earlier
And it'll have a lawn instead of a tent city.
Having lived in Toledo before, the Midwest has its own economic problems (yes, not even the unhoused want to setup tent cities there).
I've got a safe, friendly, walkable neighborhood, and my mortgage is 6 percent of my gross income. The bay area is not the only place where you can save a lot of money.
There's definitely a tradeoff, but it's disingenuous to imply that it's a good financial move to take a 50% pay cut
That said, these last couple of years remote work has really taken off, so maybe you can have your nice house in the Midwest and retire early in it too
Most people on this site are severely lacking.