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I'm looking for a city where I can maximize take home pay from software engineering but also has easily accessible beautiful nature nearby like camping and hiking in the woods. I'd also like a bit of a cultural scene with things like museums, bookstores, etc. Good public transport is a plus. Thanks.
I'm looking for a city where I can maximize take home pay from software engineering but also has easily accessible beautiful nature nearby like camping and hiking in the woods. I'd also like a bit of a cultural scene with things like museums, bookstores, etc. Good public transport is a plus. Thanks.
Well, the obvious answers are the Bay Area and Seattle. After that Boulder and Denver would be good options. Perhaps Pittsburgh as well?
Seattle. Lots of good hiking, skiing and kayaking nearby. Independent bookstores are still a thing here. Very good public transit for a city of its size.
I took this this past weekend on one of our many weekend adventures outside Seattle.
Downside is you won't be maximizing your take home pay as housing is very expensive in the city and immediate suburbs (but there's no state income tax and the property taxes are low). If you can go completely remote, then there are some affordable towns in the region with great surrounding nature.
I'm looking for a city where I can maximize take home pay from software engineering but also has easily accessible beautiful nature nearby like camping and hiking in the woods. I'd also like a bit of a cultural scene with things like museums, bookstores, etc. Good public transport is a plus. Thanks.
If looking to MAXIMIZE take home pay you'll need to steer clear of the SF/Bay Area, Seattle, DC and Boston. I would recommend Atlanta which has an average salary in your field of around 105K and a cost of living comfortable at half that amount. The Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains, Lake Lanier and Chattahoochee National Forest are about an hour from the northern suburbs of Alpharetta and Johns Creek where most of the IT workplaces in the metro area are located. MARTA is a an okay tratnsit system which can be utilized to access the cultural amenities, sporting events and other activities in the city you'd want to see via a park/ride scenario.
If looking to MAXIMIZE take home pay you'll need to steer clear of the SF/Bay Area, Seattle, DC and Boston. I would recommend Atlanta which has an average salary in your field of around 105K and a cost of living comfortable at half that amount. The Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains, Lake Lanier and Chattahoochee National Forest are about an hour from the northern suburbs of Alpharetta and Johns Creek where most of the IT workplaces in the metro area are located. MARTA is a an okay tratnsit system which can be utilized to access the cultural amenities, sporting events and other activities in the city you'd want to see via a park/ride scenario.
I'm sorry but the Bay Area (and perhaps even moreso Seattle) would offer orders of magnitude more take home pay than $105k in Atlanta. In fact, if living conservatively, it's not at all unreasonable to top $105k in after-tax savings per year.
For a view of Bay area software engineering salaries, look at levels.fyi. To say that you are going to save more making 105k in Atlanta is so far off. What Atlanta would allow for is buying and living in a large house, if your lifestyle dictates that, which is pretty much unobtainable in the Bay Area.
Last edited by whereiend; 01-05-2021 at 12:44 PM..
If looking to MAXIMIZE take home pay you'll need to steer clear of the SF/Bay Area, Seattle, DC and Boston.
It's not so simple, salaries are higher on the West Coast. Washington state has no state income tax, while Georgia's is over 5%. If you have two people making over $100k, then income tax alone is over 10 grand a year (in after tax money). Career projection may also be vastly different as well as home appreciation and equity. I still think that places like Atlanta will be cheaper and more bang for buck, but it's not as clear cut as it seems.
It's not so simple, salaries are higher on the West Coast. Washington state has no state income tax, while Georgia's is over 5%. If you have two people making over $100k, then income tax alone is over 10 grand a year. Career projection may also be vastly different. I still think that places like Atlanta will be cheaper and more bang for buck, but it's not quite as clear cut as it seems.
I think Atlanta is a million times better in terms of "bang for your buck", where the Bay Area is atrocious. If you need a large house, say because you have children, that lifestyle would definitely be more affordable in Atlanta.
But if you are okay living in an apartment and are trying to maximize savings, the only way Atlanta beats the Bay Area is if you land a Bay Area-based remote job. And even then I'm not sure, given that most companies will adjust your salary for the location.
I'm sorry but the Bay Area (and perhaps even moreso Seattle) would offer orders of magnitude more take home pay than $105k in Atlanta. In fact, if living conservatively, it's not at all unreasonable to top $105k in after-tax savings per year.
For a view of Bay area software engineering salaries, look at levels.fyi. To say that you are going to save more making 105k in Atlanta is so far off. What Atlanta would allow for is buying and living in a large house, if your lifestyle dictates that, which is pretty much unobtainable in the Bay Area.
Yes, but as mentioned to what end in salary versus cost of living, or perish the thought....savings? Your argument is a bit myopic via the suggestion of simply higher salaries.
Yes, but as mentioned to what end in salary versus cost of living, or perish the thought....savings? Your argument is a bit myopic via the suggestion of simply higher salaries.
Bay Area rent and taxes are high sure, but come on, it's very easy to save money with the salaries you can get there. Like I said, at the right company one could easily save more than that entire Atlanta salary you mentioned with an entry level role.
What you can't do in the Bay Area is buy a single family house, but that is a specific lifestyle adjustment that the OP did not mention.
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