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I agree that many companies should pay more competitive salaries , but doesn't this disproportionately hurt people in higher cost of living areas? Everyone else

I agree that many companies should pay more competitive salaries , but doesn't this disproportionately hurt people in higher cost of living areas? Everyone else gets a pay increase, the company's bottom line tightens, and higher cost of living area folks get nothing for it. I live in an area with a relatively low cost of living, and the only way I would consider moving elsewhere would be if the salary were increased proportionately to that higher cost of living such that I could maintain a similar level of comfort (beach+not negative degree temperatures ~ a couple $K).

knocte 9y ago
But this could be seen from another POV: if you live in a high cost region, it’s your choice. Is it worth it?
pc86 9y ago
One of the reasons I can never work in the bay area. I'd need somewhere between $300k and $400k cash comp a year to maintain an equal QOL, due mainly to the cheap housing in my area. That's simply not attainable with my skillset, which is much closer to CRUD/line-of-business applications than senior infrastructure at Netflix or anything else that would pull that level of compensation. To me, this is a good move. As work becomes more remote, living in the super expensive urban areas is a choice that has a price associated with it. Everyone benefits when that choice isn't constrained by the need to be there so you can commute 2 hours into a cube farm.
sidlls 9y ago
If anything the scenario you describe is helpful to those of us who choose to live in high cost of living areas. Folks like you aren't going to move here, and some who are here will happily move to a lower cost of living area to bank the difference. The net here is a decrease in local labor supply.
toomuchtodo 9y ago
Is the solution to the SFBA housing crisis (remote work enabling SFBA wages without living there) not as palatable as forcing more development?

knocte 9y ago

But this could be seen from another POV: if you live in a high cost region, it’s your choice. Is it worth it?

pc86 9y ago

One of the reasons I can never work in the bay area. I'd need somewhere between $300k and $400k cash comp a year to maintain an equal QOL, due mainly to the cheap housing in my area. That's simply not attainable with my skillset, which is much closer to CRUD/line-of-business applications than senior infrastructure at Netflix or anything else that would pull that level of compensation. To me, this is a good move. As work becomes more remote, living in the super expensive urban areas is a choice that has a price associated with it. Everyone benefits when that choice isn't constrained by the need to be there so you can commute 2 hours into a cube farm.

sidlls 9y ago

If anything the scenario you describe is helpful to those of us who choose to live in high cost of living areas. Folks like you aren't going to move here, and some who are here will happily move to a lower cost of living area to bank the difference. The net here is a decrease in local labor supply.

toomuchtodo 9y ago

Is the solution to the SFBA housing crisis (remote work enabling SFBA wages without living there) not as palatable as forcing more development?