In this file photo, a sale pending sign is placed in front of a home in San Francisco, California.
Justin Sullivan / Getty ImagesRents have fallen, population growth in California is slowing and many companies across the Bay are taking jobs remotely. As the pandemic changes more aspects of our lives, companies that have a geographically dispersed workforce are struggling to adjust salaries based on their employee’s new hometowns and states.
Bloomberg Businessweek recently analyzed data from the Economic Research Institute to better understand what it would be like to be a professional earning $ 100,000 and considering a move. If you take into account the cost of living and how much the salary will vary, the graph (titled “the case for moving to Houston”) shows how far your dollar will go in each city.
San Diego and Houston are good comparison points because the city in Southern California is about 40% more expensive than the average, but has a slightly higher salary. According to the data, Texas will give you a much better “money”, with similar relative payment, but lower than the average cost.
The top two worst ‘bang for your buck’ cities are both in the Bay, but San Francisco is unexpectedly not number one. San Jose wins the honor, with San Francisco coming from behind. Other major metropolitan cities such as New York City, Washington DC and Los Angeles also do not come as a surprisingly low on the “bang for your buck” scale.
For those who want to maximize what they can get, Houston will give you the most, with Dallas and Las Vegas also high.