good pay for telecommuting software engineer USA?

New
tHnC43

New

tHnC43
Sep 7, 2019 7 Comments

I live in the midwest, set my own hours, and work from home with 100% telecommuting.
My current rent is $1500/month for a 4 bedroom house.
I work 40 hours per week M-F and get overtime on the rare occasion I have to work more than 40. I am on call but it’s rarely needed and again, I get paid overtime if called in.

My base salary is 90k plus some equity/dividends from the privately held company.
I have 10+ YOE.

How does this compare with other people?

I’ve looked around on this board and see salaries all over the board. 300k+ for NY/CA and then another where someone says 80k is good for a different area. Are NY/CA really that much more expensive to live in? What is the work life balance at places like that? Is 90k per year extremely low or is it ok considering the lower cost of living and other perks?

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TOP 7 Comments
  • Ha, yes the cost of living IS that much higher. Google cost of living comparison tool and you can see what you’d need to make in another city to maintain your standard of living.
    Rent on a 4bd house in a decent part of San Jose is $4,000-$6,000.
    AND you get to spend at min one hour to drive the 10 miles to your job in Mountain View!
    Sep 7, 2019 3
    • 4k for a 4 bedroom? Must be even more of a shithole than most apartments in San Jose
      Sep 7, 2019
    • New
      tHnC43

      New

      tHnC43
      OP
      so with a minimum one hour commute each way then you’re talking an extra 10 hours on top of your normal work week which I’m assuming is going to be at least 40? So a minimum of a 50 hour week.
      Sep 7, 2019
  • The plus of high COL is you can save a lot more. With reasonable spending, easy to save 50k+ on 300k in the bay - good luck doing that with 90k anywhere.
    Sep 7, 2019 1
  • FourthWall Media / Product
    80%Comple

    FourthWall Media Product

    80%Comple
    90k isn’t terrible in most Midwest locations but with 10 YOE you could probably easily get yourself a 25% raise by changing jobs.
    Sep 7, 2019 0