I does matter if you plan to move to a cheaper area after a retirement. Or even if you are buying a car which costs about the same from California to Virginia - only local goods/services (and housing of course) are more expensive in high cost high salary places. Everything else if about the same within a given country.

>I does matter if you plan to move to a cheaper area after a retirement.

Likewise, you can be employed in the big city and work from home living in the small city.

The post-covid silver lining. Ask anyone who understands retail market trends and they 100% agree.

This is the bulk of the "soft landing". As usual on the shoulders of the middle class.

Schools, restaurants, and infrastructure like public transport are better in big city than small.