[alltakendamned]

> Do the lower costs of living outside big cities not offset the lower wages?

At least in Europe I have found that while salaries can be a bit higher in cities (maybe 10-20%) compared to rural areas, the housing cost can be massively higher (200-500% higher). The difference between regional and capital cities is smaller, but can still be important.

This doesn't take into account other costs such as food (supermarkets are cheaper) and entertainment (mostly because there's less of it and mountainbiking in the forest is largely free).

I'm always surprised so few people seem to realize and take advantage of this.