Child care, education, and medical are labor intensive. It's not like making widgets in a factory that can double in per worker productivity every two years. In

Child care, education, and medical are labor intensive. It's not like making widgets in a factory that can double in per worker productivity every two years. Industries that don't mechanize like a string quartet playing Mozart still command higher wages over time because they need to afford their bills too. Real estate is limited by the supply of desirable land. Location, location, location. I'm fairly sure that student loans do not scale with locale. That payment is the same no matter where you move to after graduation but it's easier to earn it in a high cost of living (unless housing costs are so high that your free cash flow is less).