I work remote and live in Los Angeles, despite all the drawbacks of living in California, because of family, friends, and my overall support network. Moving somewhere else would mean having to start all over again.
Downsides are poor public transport (cheap Japanese imports mean everyone chooses to own a vehicle), expensive food compared to EU or USA, and few jobs outside of the tourism & service industries.
I went to a few other places, then stayed in Taiwan for 4 years. At first it was going to be 2 years, but at year 1.5, NZ changed their rules to requiring 3 years. Then 2016 happened, with all the political problems in the UK and US. Everybody from English-speaking countries is trying to move here, and the waiting times have gone up dramatically. The 4th year in Taiwan is because I met my girlfriend. She also wanted to come to NZ, but she couldn't even get a Working Holiday visa (there's only 600 per year for Taiwanese).
Now I'm losing hope that it'll ever be possible. I've put in so much: emotionally, financially, and in time, towards this dream. If it does fail, I will be devastated and probably never be able to settle anywhere. (I have nationality issues and can't just "go back to your country").
The background check was pretty epic, though. I had to prove that I was indeed in a relationship with my girlfriend, who was a New Zealand citizen. This was probably because I didn't have a job lined up or a degree or skills to offer. We turned over about a year's worth of letter's we had mailed each other, many of which were pretty intimate. Supposedly someone flipped through them. Then I had to get a chest X-ray and some other medical exams, along with a drug test, to make sure I wasn't just coming over to freeload off their medical system or sling dope.
I imagine it would have been much easier if I had the skills and income that I have now. I was actually kinda shocked that I got permanent residency as easily as I did. From what I was told, I should have been pessimistic.