4 ms·

I live in Detroit and don't understand why everyone wants to work remove AND live in the most expensive places in the world. To me working remote means I can li

I live in Detroit and don't understand why everyone wants to work remove AND live in the most expensive places in the world. To me working remote means I can live anywhere I want. Why not live where you get a lot more for your money?

ProAm 2y ago
This is the definition of gentrification. And not a bad thing but this is where it starts...
crooked-v 2y ago
It's very simple: they like the benefits of living in the expensive places, as distinct from closeness to work in particular.
- abound 2y ago
  As a remote tech worker who moved from the Bay to a (much) cheaper place - I agree that the expensive places are expensive for a reason - but if one can articulate what specifically they're looking for, it's almost always possible to find it in a significantly cheaper cost-of-living area.
  - mmooss 2y ago
    > if one can articulate what specifically they're looking for, it's almost always possible to find it in a significantly cheaper cost-of-living area. Isn't that the basic essential of designing tech - the narrower your specs the less expensive your solution, so articulate them very specifically. I don't know that I buy "almost always" though. If your spec is world-class _____, you probably need to be in one of a few cities.
  - TulliusCicero 2y ago
    I'm not sure that's true. I occasionally look around and can't really find anything all that cheap that fits my preferences, but maybe I'm too picky. * Politically blue or at least purple * Reasonably dense/transitable by something other than a car (public transit and/or bike) * Wide variety of restaurants/groceries (mostly in terms of ethnicities/cultures), especially Asian food * Low(-ish) crime rate The third one is maybe the hardest, because it basically requires a substantial population, though number 2 is pretty hard in the US as well.
    - deleted 2y ago
      [deleted]
mmooss 2y ago
> Why not live where you get a lot more for your money? People live in expensive places not because they are required to, but because they find these places appealing. There are much more arts, culture, food, smart people, better schools, etc. Look at the prices people are willing to pay to live in NYC, parts of the Bay Area, etc. That is supply and demand. They are getting a lot more (of what they want) for their money. Others live in Aspen for the same reason - though they want different things. I hope you are fortunate enough to want things that aren't in quite so high demand.
- keiferski 2y ago
  That’s the stated reason, but it doesn’t factor in social trends and just general imitative behavior. In my experience the vast majority of people want to live in popular cities because other people want to live there, not because they’ve done a rational analysis of the differences in food, culture, etc. “Hacking” this by figuring out exactly what you want and finding it in a less in-demand place is a great move if you work remotely.
  - bawolff 2y ago
    > In my experience the vast majority of people want to live in popular cities because other people want to live there, not because they’ve done a rational analysis of the differences in food, culture, etc. Isn't that the "culture" of the city? People want to live there because they want to be near the other cool people who live there. Culture means much more than if it has an art gallery.
    - keiferski 2y ago
      I wouldn’t define culture as “I want to live in a place because other people want to live in a place.” Sure, absolutely larger cities have more cultural events going on, but in my experience most people aren’t analyzing the different options and aren’t utilizing all of those amenities when they actually live there. New York is a classic example. A lot of people say they move there to be closer to museums, but most only end up visiting them once or twice a year, at most. This is because they like the idea, the perception, of being a person that lives in a city with the MET and MoMa, etc. I really like NYC, for reference, so I’m not putting down the city or other large cities. But there is also a ton of hype and imitative behavior that makes people focus exclusively on the coastal cities. There are plenty of cities across America which have hip arts districts, coffee shops, great museums, nice architecture, etc. etc. but they tend to be glossed over.
sersi 2y ago
I've worked remotely for years and currently live in Hong Kong (a city where rent is close to Manhattan prices). Why do I live there? Because I appreciate the restaurants available, the variety of food, the regular theater performances from all over the world, the easy access to hiking trails and beaches while living in a densely populated city, access to museums and activities for my kid. I was raised in a tiny village, I hate the countryside, it's so utterly boring, I want a short commute to all the activities the city offers and I love public transport.
- prawn 2y ago
  First time I went to HK in the 90s, I remember being insanely impressed that I could go down the lift in our hotel and step out into an underground department store and food court full of stalls. And then from there, a tiny walk to countless other things. Not going to appeal to everyone but I can absolutely see why it appeals to some.
- dsr_ 2y ago
  My grandparents raised my parents in large cities. My parents raised their children in small towns. All of the children moved to large cities. I often describe the town I was raised in as "a great place to raise children and an awful place to be a teenager".
kulahan 2y ago
My city affords me, with a 20 minute drive, access to Michelin star quality restaurants, events that other people travel across the planet to attend, constant awesome concerts with the biggest stars, and hundreds (thousands?) of mom-and-pops. I friggin love it here, and it’s only like 40 minutes to some of the most beautiful natural landscapes I could hope for. I COULD live in $cheaperCity, but then I’m paying tons of money to go somewhere I actually want to be, not to mention needing to plan a whole trip for many of these things, which gets way harder when you’re one of millions trying to get to the city for that event.
irrational 2y ago
Location, location, location. Some parts of the country are nicer than others. Most people don't consider rural areas where the land is flat and mostly cornfields (with a possibility of tornadoes) to be a nice place to live. I live about an hour from the ocean and an hour from year round skiing in the mountains. Lots of hills and forests. I had to pay $250,000 for a 4,000 sq foot home on a wooded acre when I bought it three years ago, but I don't mind spendin that much when I am close into the city and so close to nature.
mock-possum 2y ago
Because I don’t pick where I live based on why I can get for my money. That’s like - the least of my concerns.
Yizahi 2y ago
Because corporations literally forbid people working for them and living in some cheap places. My corporation forbids this, I must live withing commute distance of any of our offices, despite working full remote for years. They also made a weak try to shove us back in the office in 2023, but that was universally ignored and not enforced thankfully.
nottorp 2y ago
> To me working remote means I can live anywhere I want. Why not live where you get a lot more for your money? Sadly that only goes if you don't intend to leave your house for anything but grocery shopping. If you'd rather hang out with friends at a concert and a pub after, you're stuck with the wanted and expensive places.
TylerE 2y ago
> Why not live where you get a lot more for your money? Because I would have to spend a lot of my money to not be miserable, and ultimately still be worse off. Places that are cheap to live are cheap for a reason.

ProAm 2y ago

This is the definition of gentrification. And not a bad thing but this is where it starts...

crooked-v 2y ago

It's very simple: they like the benefits of living in the expensive places, as distinct from closeness to work in particular.

abound 2y ago
As a remote tech worker who moved from the Bay to a (much) cheaper place - I agree that the expensive places are expensive for a reason - but if one can articulate what specifically they're looking for, it's almost always possible to find it in a significantly cheaper cost-of-living area.
- mmooss 2y ago
  > if one can articulate what specifically they're looking for, it's almost always possible to find it in a significantly cheaper cost-of-living area. Isn't that the basic essential of designing tech - the narrower your specs the less expensive your solution, so articulate them very specifically. I don't know that I buy "almost always" though. If your spec is world-class _____, you probably need to be in one of a few cities.
- TulliusCicero 2y ago
  I'm not sure that's true. I occasionally look around and can't really find anything all that cheap that fits my preferences, but maybe I'm too picky. * Politically blue or at least purple * Reasonably dense/transitable by something other than a car (public transit and/or bike) * Wide variety of restaurants/groceries (mostly in terms of ethnicities/cultures), especially Asian food * Low(-ish) crime rate The third one is maybe the hardest, because it basically requires a substantial population, though number 2 is pretty hard in the US as well.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]

mmooss 2y ago

> Why not live where you get a lot more for your money? People live in expensive places not because they are required to, but because they find these places appealing. There are much more arts, culture, food, smart people, better schools, etc. Look at the prices people are willing to pay to live in NYC, parts of the Bay Area, etc. That is supply and demand. They are getting a lot more (of what they want) for their money. Others live in Aspen for the same reason - though they want different things. I hope you are fortunate enough to want things that aren't in quite so high demand.

keiferski 2y ago
That’s the stated reason, but it doesn’t factor in social trends and just general imitative behavior. In my experience the vast majority of people want to live in popular cities because other people want to live there, not because they’ve done a rational analysis of the differences in food, culture, etc. “Hacking” this by figuring out exactly what you want and finding it in a less in-demand place is a great move if you work remotely.
- bawolff 2y ago
  > In my experience the vast majority of people want to live in popular cities because other people want to live there, not because they’ve done a rational analysis of the differences in food, culture, etc. Isn't that the "culture" of the city? People want to live there because they want to be near the other cool people who live there. Culture means much more than if it has an art gallery.
  - keiferski 2y ago
    I wouldn’t define culture as “I want to live in a place because other people want to live in a place.” Sure, absolutely larger cities have more cultural events going on, but in my experience most people aren’t analyzing the different options and aren’t utilizing all of those amenities when they actually live there. New York is a classic example. A lot of people say they move there to be closer to museums, but most only end up visiting them once or twice a year, at most. This is because they like the idea, the perception, of being a person that lives in a city with the MET and MoMa, etc. I really like NYC, for reference, so I’m not putting down the city or other large cities. But there is also a ton of hype and imitative behavior that makes people focus exclusively on the coastal cities. There are plenty of cities across America which have hip arts districts, coffee shops, great museums, nice architecture, etc. etc. but they tend to be glossed over.

sersi 2y ago

I've worked remotely for years and currently live in Hong Kong (a city where rent is close to Manhattan prices). Why do I live there? Because I appreciate the restaurants available, the variety of food, the regular theater performances from all over the world, the easy access to hiking trails and beaches while living in a densely populated city, access to museums and activities for my kid. I was raised in a tiny village, I hate the countryside, it's so utterly boring, I want a short commute to all the activities the city offers and I love public transport.

prawn 2y ago
First time I went to HK in the 90s, I remember being insanely impressed that I could go down the lift in our hotel and step out into an underground department store and food court full of stalls. And then from there, a tiny walk to countless other things. Not going to appeal to everyone but I can absolutely see why it appeals to some.
dsr_ 2y ago
My grandparents raised my parents in large cities. My parents raised their children in small towns. All of the children moved to large cities. I often describe the town I was raised in as "a great place to raise children and an awful place to be a teenager".

kulahan 2y ago

My city affords me, with a 20 minute drive, access to Michelin star quality restaurants, events that other people travel across the planet to attend, constant awesome concerts with the biggest stars, and hundreds (thousands?) of mom-and-pops. I friggin love it here, and it’s only like 40 minutes to some of the most beautiful natural landscapes I could hope for. I COULD live in $cheaperCity, but then I’m paying tons of money to go somewhere I actually want to be, not to mention needing to plan a whole trip for many of these things, which gets way harder when you’re one of millions trying to get to the city for that event.

irrational 2y ago

Location, location, location. Some parts of the country are nicer than others. Most people don't consider rural areas where the land is flat and mostly cornfields (with a possibility of tornadoes) to be a nice place to live. I live about an hour from the ocean and an hour from year round skiing in the mountains. Lots of hills and forests. I had to pay $250,000 for a 4,000 sq foot home on a wooded acre when I bought it three years ago, but I don't mind spendin that much when I am close into the city and so close to nature.

mock-possum 2y ago

Because I don’t pick where I live based on why I can get for my money. That’s like - the least of my concerns.

Yizahi 2y ago

Because corporations literally forbid people working for them and living in some cheap places. My corporation forbids this, I must live withing commute distance of any of our offices, despite working full remote for years. They also made a weak try to shove us back in the office in 2023, but that was universally ignored and not enforced thankfully.

nottorp 2y ago

> To me working remote means I can live anywhere I want. Why not live where you get a lot more for your money? Sadly that only goes if you don't intend to leave your house for anything but grocery shopping. If you'd rather hang out with friends at a concert and a pub after, you're stuck with the wanted and expensive places.

TylerE 2y ago

> Why not live where you get a lot more for your money? Because I would have to spend a lot of my money to not be miserable, and ultimately still be worse off. Places that are cheap to live are cheap for a reason.