Those VRMs are not that expensive, and you can't realistically move them far away from the load without constantly under- or over-voltaging the transistors you'

Those VRMs are not that expensive, and you can't realistically move them far away from the load without constantly under- or over-voltaging the transistors you're trying to power. Your power company does not deliver 5 volts to your house for your phone charger, nor does it transport 240 VAC more than a few parcels.