What they don't tell you: the cities with the tech jobs are disproportionately expensive.
For example, cost of living in San Francisco is anywhere from 60-100% higher than most other parts of the US. Same goes for New York, Seattle and Boston. Even Boulder is fairly expensive.
Jobs in San Francisco, in particular, are not cost-effective. Sure, you get paid more, but the differential is rarely enough to make up for the increase in the cost of living. A $100k job in San Francisco (where rent on a one-bedroom apartment is easily $1500/month) is roughly equivalent to a $60k job in Seattle.
That said, San Francisco is gorgeous. It's probably worth a hit to your earning power to live there...at least while you're young and single.
For example, cost of living in San Francisco is anywhere from 60-100% higher than most other parts of the US. Same goes for New York, Seattle and Boston. Even Boulder is fairly expensive.
Jobs in San Francisco, in particular, are not cost-effective. Sure, you get paid more, but the differential is rarely enough to make up for the increase in the cost of living. A $100k job in San Francisco (where rent on a one-bedroom apartment is easily $1500/month) is roughly equivalent to a $60k job in Seattle.
That said, San Francisco is gorgeous. It's probably worth a hit to your earning power to live there...at least while you're young and single.