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> The laws in SF are as renter friendly as you can get in this country.

That depends what you mean. Rent control, for example, can be viewed as extremely friendly to the current renters but extremely unfriendly to would-be renters and the rental market as a whole.

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I would love to work there, but the rents look completely ridiculous compared to the rest of the country. I live in the heart of a wealthy urban area, and still pay close to a third what I would pay in SF. I am an engineer, so I could afford to live there, but saving would be impossible. It is a bit worrying that the tech community seems to be so irresponsible with where they choose to set up shop. Sure, an office in downtown Manhattan would be awesome, but is it really necessary for a non profitable startup?

I wouldn't say that saving is impossible on an engineer's salary, but I suppose it's all relative on how much you want to save and what your "lifestyle expenses" are outside of rent.

I lived in SF 2011-2012, and have lived in NYC since then. Let me tell ya, my cost of living now in Manhattan is substantially lower than what it was in SF.

NYC isn't cheap, but it isn't quite the level of insanity as San Francisco.

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