[rdl]

Paying California income taxes and property taxes and everything else would maybe make sense if you lived in Palo Alto/Cupertino/Hillsborough with multiple kids in school, but if you're paying another $44k/yr for school on top of the taxes and high cost of living, it's pretty crazy. It also makes sense if you want to work at the HQ of one of the bay area tech companies, or if you're involved in a startup or other business selling to other startups, but probably doesn't make sense in any other case (including enterprise-focused startups, or potentially, even consumer focused startups now.)

While Vancouver real estate is expensive (largely due to foreign buyers, many of whom do not live in the properties), rental isn't as bad, and Vancouver Island or other areas outside metro Vancouver aren't particularly bad. If you're already willing to accept a Cessna ride to civilization, you can definitely find something cheap.

Las Vegas or Texas would have been cheaper, though.