Are salaries really doubled in SF? I was travelling out there for work in '99 and 2000.....there was a TON of money out there back then. But it was also during the dotcom boom, too, so my experience isn't really accurate.
Yes, and the cost to rent an apartment is much higher than even New York... we are talking $2000 per month for a 600 sqft studio to be in a safe neighborhood. San Fran is the costliest place in the US to live.
This site has $50k salary in Peoria as $81k in San Fran so I was a little off, but if you look at the costs, it seems the $50k in Peoria is a much better quality of life.