San Francisco tech salaries are not representative for the entire US tech industry. And on top of that, San Francisco salaries drive up housing prices, so i'm not sure if working in SF results in a higher discretionary income.

Toronto tech salaries are not representative for all of Ontario either.

Bay area tech salaries are 3x gdp per capita.

Toronto tech salaries are 1.2x gdp per capita.

Funnily enough, the 3x higher salaries in San Francisco actually make it more affordable than working tech in Toronto.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?cou...

I just checked and in EU big cities like Munich, tech salaries are also around 1.0x-1.2x GPD per capita, making EU just as bad as Toronto. Man, the US is really in a league of its own for tech wages.

Meanwhile, in Poland tech salaries are 3x-4x the GDP per capita, which is why many of software developers own more than one house/apartment.

What about the people who aren't devs?

Well, if they live in a small town in some rural area they either inherit a house, or build their own, with substantial financial help from from their parents.

If they live in a city they are screwed, unless they are lucky enough to get a really well-paying job.