Having lived both lives, I can tell you with certainty that having a loan you will never be able to pay back is just not worth it even if the cities pay you better.
If you are in your 20s you could join startups and hope for a decent exit. Otherwise, I wouldn't even bother. If you have the skills to work remotely - absolutely try hard to do that. It doesn't matter if you get paid half the normal rate. That half rate is still a 3-story house somewhere. Doesn't have to be in the bush. :)
Longterm-speaking you could buy a house in a city, live in it until you have the experience needed to work remotely, then sell.