> There’s a very beneficial reinforcing effect of saving a high percentage of your income: you have lower monthly spending, meaning not only does your savings/i

> There’s a very beneficial reinforcing effect of saving a high percentage of your income: you have lower monthly spending, meaning not only does your savings/investment accounts’ balances go up faster, the amount of annual spending you need to replace is lower. The caveat here is that some things are just more expensive in absolute terms. A car or a computer that I want to buy won't cost that much less just because of my location, because location based pricing applies to a limited set of goods and services: like food, clothes, rent or heating/power bills. So while saving and not living above your means is good, also optimizing for absolute income values is probably a good idea. Thus many seek out ways to work for well paying companies or in well paying careers, while also living frugally in an area with a relatively low CoL, or maybe make lifestyle choices like forgoing owning a motor vehicle (if possible).