"I could charge less than people that need to pay S.F. or New York rents." Charging less is attractive for commodities. When you are buying toothpaste or cola

"I could charge less than people that need to pay S.F. or New York rents." Charging less is attractive for commodities. When you are buying toothpaste or cola, there is not that much difference from one brand to the next, so having the lower price can help make the sale. For tech work, the difference in skill among programmers can be an order of magnitude. Also, there is some information asymmetry--it is hard to know which programmers are good. So your rate is one indicator that people use to evaluate your skill level. If you are a highly skilled programmer but charge low, you may be sending a signal that you are a novice programmer. Furthermore, if you charge too low you may attract clients from hell. These are clients that don't know much about programming and think that it's easier than it is (which is why they are looking for below market rates). So don't charge less in order to attract clients. Rather, demonstrate (show specific evidence of) your superior skill and then charge a competitive market rate. Also note that it might be harder to find clients if you move away from a large urban area.