So?

Developers straight out of college can sometimes make triple the average household income.

The point is to compare yourself to the entirety of society, and not just 'keep up with the joneses' in your own special bubble.

Sure. I feel quite lucky that my particular skillset is richly rewarded.

That doesn't mean there aren't underpaid software engineers. Even when their lowball salary is higher than the average household income.

"Decent living" doesn't mean that you're under or overpaid for your skill set, position and responsibilities. It usually means based on your geographic area as a whole (or objectively whether or not you can sustain yourself).

The median household income in the US is a "decent living" in almost the entire country, even some urban centers. Saying that 2x+ is a "decent living" is completely tone deaf.

Depends on where you live. In SV, sure, but they have the highest cost of living in the world.

In Dallas, a fresh out of college CS grad can probably expect a salary in the lower 40s. And the cost of living is cheap enough you can afford a house on that.

Really? That seems weirdly low, even with a lower COL taken into a account. In Southeast Michigan a new grad would expect to start somewhere around 60, and that's enough to buy a decent to huge house depending on where you end up living.

That's a sad salary. Especially when moving a few hours away to San Antonio will yield a 20k+/yr salary increase. Even if housing in Dallas were free, it's still better to move from a financial perspective.

Where in DFW can you purchase a nice home on 40k?

I'm talking about renting, not purchasing.

Well over double (halfway to triple).