This whole dialogue shows a very laborer-centric view of the world. What is missing from this entire conversation is the concept of being an employer/founder or independent consultant. If you want to bootstrap a startup, the Bay Area cost basis is going to destroy your nest egg until you can raise capital. Also, this conversation implies that you are employed 100% of the time, ignoring any cases where you quit, are fired, or the "rocketship" startup you joined doesn't work out.
To add a personal case: I lived in Boston working full-time (and all the time) for about seven years before getting sick and having to take a year off of work.
When you game out salary vs cost of living for a region, you tend to make an assumption that you'll be employed 100% of the time. But once you break that assumption, it can change the dynamics considerably. The $2000/mo you spent comfortably on rent while working full-time quickly becomes an uncontrollable drain on savings when you stop.
For me, I decided to move to a place (CO, an hour north of Denver) with a lower cost of living (and for me, a better quality of living, too), a place where I could live comfortably even if I didn't (or wasn't able to) work full time all the time. And if I do work full time, I could potentially "retire" in my 40s if I wanted, where "retire" probably means "work on whatever I want without needing to get funding," and/or "be a parent," etc.
