Let's assume for the sake of argument that you're right an Amazon warehouses are nearly all located in areas where rents exceed the median by a meaningful amount. So what? Living right next to your employer is as much as right as anything discussed here. Ignore Amazon for a second. There are gas stations in areas like Malibu that have bad traffic and extremely expensive real estate. The people working there are obviously not living anywhere close, and I'm thinking they probably get paid less than Amazon warehouse workers in the same state (and have much worse, if any, benefits).