In November 2010, I politely declined a job offer because it wasn't enough money. The location was D.C. They offered 67.5K, but I wanted 90K. I said that I would take 67.5K, if they let me work from Denver because the cost of living is much cheaper. They said remote working was not a possibility, so I declined it.
When I declined the offer, I was upset, but I didn't show it. I was polite. I was upset because they didn't post the salary range in the job ad. If 67.5K was the maximum, I would have never applied for the job. I interviewed with about 10 different people over 2 days. It was a huge waste of time for everyone involved.
The hiring manager seemed really confused why I wasn't jumping at the chance to live in D.C. It's an attractive city for people in their late 20's that like to party. He told me that he thought I was 27 and I could rent a 4 bedroom house with 3 other dudes about one hour outside of the city for cheap. However, I was actually 31 and looking to buy a home and start a family with my fiance. In 2010, there was a housing crisis and I could get a really good deal on a house in pretty much any city except D.C. Because of the government jobs, D.C. was not in a housing crisis. At the time, a very cheap garden level one-bedroom was $1900/month to rent. I think the hiring manager misread my stage of life and what was attractive to me at the time.
In April 2015, a head hunter called me and was encouraging me to re-apply for the position. It was 105K for entry level, but more like 125K for me because I had gained 4 years of experience and had a P.D. I declined it a 2nd time because I was happy with my current job at the time. It took them 4 years, but they finally increased the starting salary to market value.