Why would they pay more if the costs have decreased to the worker.

Because inflation and the cost of living crisis. A living wage is a must.

If people aren't buying the non-essential goods and services every major economy is propped up by, things grind to a halt.

Yeah but you moved out of the city your living costs are now a small fraction of what they once were.

People in the UK working the average job generally commute into the city, the wages that are generally paid mean that folks couldn't afford to live in the city.