[bachmeier]

> a non-trivial percentage of SF Bay Area techies have a shot at financial independence (let's say, $10M in the bank)

You can become financially independent in most parts of the US. You definitely do not need $10M. $1.5M is enough. If you want a lavish lifestyle or you want to have complete control over where you live, of course that will require more, but financial independence means only that you have enough to cover the bills and live a modest but comfortable lifestyle.