Also… pay should reflect the value you add, not be a measure of your household expenses. If companies can afford to pay HCOL rates it’s because the employee is

Also… pay should reflect the value you add, not be a measure of your household expenses. If companies can afford to pay HCOL rates it’s because the employee is generating enough value to be worth that salary. They’d generate the same value if they lived in the boonies, and the company doesn’t magically become unable to afford it. Let’s not let the industry trick us all into major pay cuts, eh?