I agree, and I think that military housing allowances (which are adjusted for CoL) also have the additional justification that (generally speaking) you don't ge

I agree, and I think that military housing allowances (which are adjusted for CoL) also have the additional justification that (generally speaking) you don't get to choose where you are stationed. As a service member, the military tells you where to go and you go, so it makes a certain amount of sense that you're then paid enough to live there. As a software developer in the civilian world, my physical location has nothing to do with my work, so it makes no sense for my compensation to be based on my location.