lol.

San Francisco is merely speedruning the unaffordability crisis, but moving somewhere else to make less money that is also becoming less affordable and with way less nice things (like high salaries) is also.. not the smart financial move that the ‘just move to a cheap place’ people believe.

2 bedrooms in the city is 4.5k in rent or double that in mortgage. Childcare is 4K. Yeah, take that nice big annual salary, shave off 33% in taxes, deduct rent or mortgage and childcare and see if that works.

(There are cheaper rent controlled 2BR apts. maybe 3.6? But they would be much older)

That’s why people aren’t having kids. At any salary range.

The main reason people aren’t moving to a cheaper place is

You’ve moved to a cheaper place with your remote job. Cool

Your company reduces your salary 20% because of cost of living adjustments (they will).

Cool, now you live in the sticks, make less money. Maybe somewhere you don’t know anyone. Maybe somewhere you’re a minority.

You get laid off, because layoffs

Now you’re looking for a job in a place that doesn’t have jobs, and you can’t move back to California. With a ton more jobs, but harder to move back into.

That’s the real tradeoff.

But some people think success means owning a huge house in a place they don’t know anyone and have no community.

@skinnylatte pretty much. A move out to a cheaper area is a zero-sum to loss unless maybe you're close to retirement.