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Comment by mark-r | Hacker News Reader

As a resident of flyover country I look at it the opposite way - why would I move to the coast for higher pay only to have it soaked up in living expenses? Even with that I'd probably be downgrading my housing, and there are other aspects of my lifestyle that I'd miss. And do you really think the pay disparity is that extreme?

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We moved to a rural area (nearest large city is a 4 hour drive) four years ago and I'd agree with the other commenters that housing is the only cost that decreased any - and even that is almost irrelevant as people fleeing cities have increased house prices and/or market manipulation has worked to keep housing costs relatively high. Sure you can buy a double-wide or a serious fixer-upper here that you'd never find in the city, but if you want a typical 3 bedroom middle class house you aren't getting much of a discount.

The truth is, I feel more compelled to increase my income and saving now because of the lack of opportunities in the local economy. My income is entirely from non-local customers and if my sales pipeline ever dried up I'd have no option but to move. This is basically at the heart of why I don't move to the midwest (where my wife would prefer to be) because it would be the same thing - you'd be the big fish in a small pond.

If, at the end of the day, your discretionary income is the same, does it matter? You make more money, you pay more in expenses, and when all is said and done you still have $1000/mo to spend on whatever you want or put in savings. So your higher pay being soaked up in living expenses nets you exactly the same as the lower pay with less living expenses.

It doesn't matter if the pay disparity is as high as I mentioned. What matters is what you take home after your bills are paid. And it's exactly the same in my research. Which is why I moved to another part of the midwest when I moved, and not to SF or NY.

As someone who worked in a flyover state for 5 years and then moved to SF (then NY)... YES! The comment about the 20% discretionary income and resulting impact is also true.

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