Right that point broke down pretty quickly. Rent in London is more expensive than most of the United States.

I found pay-salary ratio worked best in Toronto provided you don't expect to own a home in the city.

That is why the post started off with "London is an expensive town, so I'm sorry to hear that. But for others --"

Some cities are not rational. The best game to play when you have irrational rules is to not play. That is why the post was directed "To others: "

London and NYC are not rational cities. To some extent, also Vancouver. Some of these cities are places where foreign cash comes to be parked in, often empty, apartments. They raise prices for everyone and ruin market dynamics. SF/Bay Area is irrational in a sense because you are competing on a time spectrum -- a rational job for someone who purchased a house in 2004 is an irrational job for someone who needs to rent at 2019 rates.

Yup, Vancouver can be more expensive than LA, with way lower average salaries.