It’s not the cost of living that your potential employer cares about – it’s the “cost of labor”.
Employers don’t care if you have higher expenses compared to salary – they care if they can get an equally qualified candidate for less.
Or at least that’s what my corporate overlords have told me and my fellow employees.
If your husband is an engineer… cost of labor is on the rise in the bay area. Salaries are no longer stagnating and it’s a competitive marketplace. I have a friend who’s a vp of software for a company in Berkeley… she’s having a tough time getting offers accepted because she’s competing against google etc..
However… non engineering jobs may not be as competitive.