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Comment by hmillison | Hacker News Reader

I support remote work, but moving out to a rural area is putting yourself at risk if you expect to get high software engineer pay.

There’s a lot more competition for remote jobs and you’re also competing with highly qualified candidates in lower cost of living places outside the US.

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Flipside: Staying in an expensive metro area puts you at risk to maintain your quality of life and pay mortgage/taxes/insurance on everything, when a lot of hybrid jobs don't pay enough to cover those expenses, and are also at risk of layoffs, which can be catastrophic when you have a high cost of living. If you're remote/rural, you don't need to make nearly as much just to skate by if something goes south. I moved out of the Bay Area, and I cannot imagine ever going back. Too much risk. I don't care if the pool of jobs is smaller and the pay is lower.

When it comes to your quality of life, there are a lot of factors besides the cost of living - social circle, weather, job opportunities, hobbies, cultural compatibility etc. For a lot of people, expensive metro areas can also be the only places where they have friends & family or where they can pursue their hobbies. As an immigrant of color, I simply cannot see myself living happily in rural Ohio even if that could be a wonderful place for someone else.

I agree. But there are a lot of places in the US that check 90% of those boxes at a fraction of the cost of the Bay Area. There are a lot of great second-tier cities that are very welcoming to people of color.

> you’re also competing with highly qualified candidates in lower cost of living places outside the US.

Thats true for anyone in the US. I find it far stranger to work remotely from SF or NY.

I love working remotely in NYC. I love the city, and I love working remotely. Perfect combo.

I think the key part of moving elsewhere is that you have much less access to the in-person segment, assuming moving represents a significant hurdle to you.

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