There is no "2200 square foot beast". That is just a median home. It's a bit cramped, but adequate. Right now you could get 4400 square feet on a 1 acre lot for

There is no "2200 square foot beast". That is just a median home. It's a bit cramped, but adequate. Right now you could get 4400 square feet on a 1 acre lot for $400,000 in Melbourne or Palm Bay. You CoL difference is only 2x because you are settling for inferior housing. People can do that. You have. Let's not pretend it is good housing however. To get that early retirement, you forgo decades of living in decent housing. The CoL difference is well over 10x with equivalent housing. That housing deficiency can have an everlasting impact on your family. People in costly and cramped spaces have smaller families. You might not be aware of the effect it has on you, simply thinking that you didn't want that many kids. In retirement, it will be too late to have more kids.