"Silicon Valley developers, one of the highest paid professions"
Based upon the number of hours the people who I knew at Zynga were putting in - IMHO they were far from receiving a good rate when looked at hourly.
100k at 60-70+ hrs per week in a place with some of the highest living costs is not all that admirable of pay if you ask me. Yes they are not on the street but its not exactly the bees' knees either.
Well, developers work on the internet. Good freelance developers command $70+/hour on the internet.
The cost of living in the hip part of Berlin (Kreuzberg/Friedrichshain) has nearly DOUBLED in the last 5 years. You're now looking at nearly $1500 per month for a 900 square foot 2-bedroom. :D
My place a bit farther out is €1000/mo and is 1800 square feet. My office is on one floor (the one with the small balcony) and living quarters upstairs (the big balcony).
But in line with South Bay. As long as the work is near Caltrain/BART lines, one doesn't really have to live in San Francisco unless they really want to pay premium for the privilege.
Fuck, I paid $1850 for a 650 sqft one-bedroom in Mountain View. That was before they tried to raise the rent after the Google expansion, I hear they posted it at $2400 after I left.
My 3 bedroom 1000sqft house with a garden in London has a current rental value of about $1600. That's the difference between living in a leafy, relatively unfashionable suburb in the South of London vs. living in one of the enclaves of rich people or hipsters in the centre of town. I have a 45 minute commute to the centre, door to door.
The analogue is living in Oakland or San Jose. Of course public transportation is much worse in the bay area, if you happen to live and work near the right Caltrain or Bart stops then it can be comparable.
The place I lived in Mountain View was prime real estate. I was on Castro street, one of the only walkable places outside of San Francisco proper. There is plenty of cheaper real estate in MV.
Similarly in Battersea I live near Clapham Junction. I can get to Heathrow in 40, Gatwick in 30, Soho in 25 and Bright on 50! I can also cycle to Trafalgar Sq in 20 mins if the lights are favorable. Again, there are cheaper places around, but not without worse location or other problems with the property.
Also, the first property on the link you listed is £390 a week. You do realize that that is $2700 / month right? And you do realize that in Mountain View when you rent there is no council tax, and you don't pay estate agents any fees at all. In fact there are no estate agents, and property holders often give you some kind of deal like reduced rent for the first month to get you to sign a lease.
Based upon the number of hours the people who I knew at Zynga were putting in - IMHO they were far from receiving a good rate when looked at hourly.
100k at 60-70+ hrs per week in a place with some of the highest living costs is not all that admirable of pay if you ask me. Yes they are not on the street but its not exactly the bees' knees either.