If you extend your search to Burnaby/New West, you can easily find 1 bedrooms for $700-1000 that are close to a frequent bus route (e.g. 106, 123). You're not paying a premium to live close to Skytrain, but commuting to downtown doesn't take an hour by transit either.

There's actually not a lot of data on Vancouver dev salaries out there. I've heard ranges from $50K to 70K depending on the source.