Well, that sounds more like different employers than a "cost-of-living adjustment". Sure, you probably can't get a local employer to pay what a Bay Area employe

Well, that sounds more like different employers than a "cost-of-living adjustment". Sure, you probably can't get a local employer to pay what a Bay Area employer pays, but if your employer is a Bay Area employer and they'd be willing to pay you 40% more if you worked remote from NYC than if you worked remote from Minneapolis, then yes, you should have more leverage there. Probably not enough to actually get the raise, but enough to make the conversation more interesting at least.