Meta engineer demonstrates FIRE lifestyle: $300k annual salary, spending $4,000 a month, living in the U.S. without a car, able to "retire early" by age 30

A young Meta software engineer appears in Business Insider's "Cost of Living" series of videos, revealing his $306,500 annual salary and his FIRE plan to retire before age 30 with $1.6 million.
(Background: Meta employee proposal: if AI fully automates their job, the company should give five years' worth of salary as compensation, then lay off)
(Additional context: 2026 Asia cost of living rankings released: Taipei's cost of living surpasses Tokyo, but salary purchasing power lags behind Japan and South Korea)

Table of Contents

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• $306,500 coming in annually, $4,000 going out
• "Car-free" Bay Area resident
• He still has hobbies that cost money
• Retire at 30 with $1.6 million, 4% rule
• He invests in his future

Key Summary

• Meta engineer earns $306,500 annually, after taxes and retirement contributions, only $4,000 per month is his take-home pay, with one-sixth of his salary flowing into a 401(k)
• No sofa, no TV, iron cabinet as bedside table, $2,600 monthly rent, commuting without a car, saving $5,000 to $20,000 each month
• Aims to accumulate $1.6 million by age 30 for retirement, with an expected net worth of $7 million by age 40, following the FIRE 4% rule

A robot vacuum, a DJ controller, an empty living room. When Raymond Zeng opens the door to his apartment in the San Francisco Bay Area, the first impression from the camera isn't "this is the home of a Meta engineer earning over $300k a year," but rather "whose college dorm is this?"

In the bedroom, there's only a bed, a pillow, a charging cable, and a metal filing cabinet as a nightstand.

The bathroom's highlight is a $400 bidet toilet, and the balcony is empty.

"Many friends say my lifestyle is Spartan," he tells the camera. "But it's a deliberate choice."

By "deliberate," he means his 401(k) account is swelling with five-figure monthly contributions, and he plans to stop working by age 30.

$306,500 coming in annually, $4,000 going out

Raymond Zeng is a Meta software engineer, working across coding, project management, and data analysis, with a weekly 40 to 50 hours. His total annual compensation is $306,500, covering base salary, stock vesting, and performance bonuses.

What happens after his salary comes in?

First, his retirement accounts: he contributes $24,500 to his 401(k) up to the limit, plus after-tax contributions pushing it to the IRS annual cap of $72,000.

That alone is one-sixth of his annual income.

Next, he maxes out his Roth IRA.

He maxes out his HSA (Health Savings Account).

Remaining funds are fully invested in brokerage accounts, with an 80% allocation to U.S. stocks and 20% international markets.

The actual amount transferred to his bank account at the end of the month is: $4,000.

A top Silicon Valley tech engineer, his post-tax monthly take-home pay is not much different from a part-time barista in San Francisco.

But on the other side, his retirement accounts are growing at $5,000 to $20,000 per month, depending on stock vesting or bonuses that month.

"Car-free" Bay Area resident

In July 2025, he moved from Dallas to the Bay Area. The company provided a relocation specialist, but after doing all the research himself and signing the lease without seeing the apartment in person, he pays $2,600 monthly rent, including community amenities.

He says comparable apartments closer to the office cost $3,500 to $3,700, but he chose to live farther away.

He doesn't own a car, commuting via BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and Meta's shuttle bus, walking five minutes to the nearest station. His monthly transportation costs are $0 to $30.

He didn't own a car in Dallas either, living there for two years—please accept my respect.

He budgets $300 per month for groceries.

Dining out costs about $75 per month, usually less.

His breakfast and lunch are subsidized by Meta; he cooks dinner himself, including protein, a bag of frozen dumplings he finds boring, and sugary herbal tea bags ("This stuff is super tasty, but also high in sugar").

He took his photographer to Asian supermarkets to buy beef short ribs at $10.99 per pound, then went to Western supermarkets for white bread, rice, a dozen eggs, a bottle of cola, and a gallon of whole milk, totaling $22.34.

His non-negotiable housing criteria are three: within walking distance to a coffee shop, bubble tea shop, and Asian supermarket. Everything else is negotiable—because he can do without a TV, a sofa, or a bedside table, replacing it with an iron cabinet.

But bubble tea shops are non-negotiable—bubble tea flows in the veins of Asian culture, right?

He still has hobbies that cost money

If you think Raymond Zeng is a money-saving robot with no expenses, you're only half right.

He spends $400 to $500 per month on hobbies, across three areas: credit card points optimization, travel, and the furry (animal fandom) community.

He spends about $1,000 annually on high-tier credit card annual fees, aiming to maximize travel rewards through sign-up bonuses and miles, then redeeming points for business class tickets worth far more than cash value. His latest trip was to Singapore and Malaysia with his father and sister.

And then there's the part that made the comment section explode in the video.

He openly admits he's an active furry community member, saving up to make a fursuit costing $4,000 to $7,000. His character is a semi-mechanical dog-like creature called a protogen. The video shows a semi-finished, hand-sewn fur headpiece.

"The furry community is a group that's been marginalized in social spaces for a long time," he says. "Many people are worried about their real identities being exposed online. I just happen to be the kind of idiot who decided to be open about it."

He knows what will happen next. The last line of the video is his own prediction: "Everyone who comments on my apartment, on furry, or on my financial approach—you're all coming."

In his budget, hobbies and retirement accounts are not in conflict.

Retire at 30 with $1.6 million, 4% rule

Raymond Zeng has a custom Google Sheets spreadsheet. Every month, he copies it to track income, expenses, taxes, and investment return forecasts. He shows the screen—rows packed with numbers, each precise to the units.

The core formula comes from the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) community's standard algorithm: annual expenses multiplied by 25, the so-called 4% rule, meaning you withdraw only 4% of your assets each year, theoretically never running out.

Since he plans to retire before 30—much earlier than typical FIRE folks—he adds a buffer to the formula.

His spreadsheet estimates that at age 30, his net worth exceeds $2 million. By age 40, it approaches $7 million.

After age 40, the "income" row is blank because he won't need work income anymore.

"The FIRE community has split from its original 'frugal at all costs' version since the 2010s," he says. "Now, some can live with quality while saving heavily for retirement."

And after retirement? He won't stop working entirely. Maybe take on interesting projects, "if I find them meaningful."

The rest of his time will be for travel, conventions, and doing what he loves.

He plans to eventually move back to Los Angeles, perhaps start a business in a few years, but currently has no concrete plans.

His advice to viewers is a phrase repeatedly echoed in FIRE circles: "Build the life you want first, then save for it."

He invests in his future

Looking back at his apartment—metal filing cabinet as a nightstand, empty living room, robot vacuum, DJ setup—this isn't a story of "earning $300k but living miserably."

His health insurance costs $17 per month, with a high-quality medical plan provided by his company.

He works out at the apartment gym or dances at furry conventions' raves.

His social life involves visiting friends' homes or meeting in virtual reality with a VR headset.

That $306,500 salary slip shows only $4,000 as his "current" living expenses. The rest is for his life after 30.

Most people earn and buy things; he earns and invests in his future.

Of course, this lifestyle might seem like asceticism to mainstream views.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early)?

FIRE is a financial movement based on the formula of annual expenses times 25 (the 4% rule). Once reaching that goal, you can retire early, withdrawing only 4% annually, theoretically sustaining forever.

How much does a $300k annual salary in San Francisco actually take home?

Using Raymond Zeng as an example, after federal and state taxes, 401(k) contributions, and other accounts, his actual monthly take-home pay is about $4,000, roughly 16% of his pre-tax monthly salary.