Sorry I wasn't totally clear. I currently have a FANG job, but I am forced to live in a high COL locale to maintain it. Living anywhere near my hometown is sim

Sorry I wasn't totally clear. I currently have a FANG job, but I am forced to live in a high COL locale to maintain it. Living anywhere near my hometown is simply not an option; I doubt there is a single employed software engineer in a 30 mile radius, and certainly not at the same level of comp. So, if I want to be a well paid software engineer, I can't live in Iowa. If I want to live in Iowa, I can't be a well paid software engineer. If you want to live in the Bay, don't be a teacher. If you want to be a teacher, don't live in the Bay. If enough folks follow that rationale, Bay Area teachers will get paid more.