Twitter engineer vents about 'making ends meet' in SF on $160K salary

Twitter ranked first in an annual survey of the top tech companies to work for. Twitter was given a score of 4.6 out of 5. A sign is posted outside of the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, Calif. Twitter ranked first in an annual survey of the top tech companies to work for. Twitter was given a score of 4.6 out of 5. A sign is posted outside of the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, Calif. Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images Image 1 of / 43 Caption Close Twitter engineer vents about 'making ends meet' in SF on $160K salary 1 / 43 Back to Gallery

We all know San Francisco is expensive, but when someone is complaining about scraping by on a $160,000 salary, you know the situation has gotten ridiculous.

This was what one Twitter engineer said in a recent Guardian article about techies who make big money but can barely afford to live in the Bay Area. The Twitter worker lives in an "ultra cheap" house with his wife and kids in the city that only charges $3,000 rent per month.

"I didn't become a software engineer to be trying to make ends meet," said the engineer, who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity.

The stories of people earning big bucks and barely getting by only get more dire with a digital marketer saying she and her partner "make over $1 million between us, but we can't afford a house."

"This is part of where the American dream is not working out here," she adds.

Some people have dealt with the Bay Area affordability crisis in creative ways like living in a box inside an apartment, but those making big tech bucks probably don't consider this or shacking up in a truck in a parking lot as a viable solution, especially if they have a family.

The Guardian said the tech workers spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing repercussions at their companies.

So if it's that bad for these people, what can those living on the SF median household income of $88,000 expect? Well, if they're going to move anywhere, it is to the far outskirts of the Bay Area, or beyond. And it looks like some well-paid tech workers will join them.

For instance, a tech worker named Michael who earned $700,000 last year finally got frustrated by his 2.5-hour commute and inability to land a house closer to work in San Jose. So he took a job in San Diego earning half his salary, according to the Guardian.

And that may be the ultimate solution for others as well.