[cwhiz]

Most of that income difference is tied up in the costs to buy a home. I find the arguments on this topic to be fairly silly.

If I moved from NYC to St Louis I could take my rent payment and go buy a house. I’ve upgraded but my housing expenses are the same. Then if I wanted to move back to NYC I would need to double or triple my income to purchase something relatively equivalent. Or I could just move back into my old apartment.

The actual costs on the ground for most people are going to be way more similar than these COLA calculators will show. People won’t live their exact same lives with the exact same luxuries.

The biggest actual difference is taxes.

However, the big downside and risk here is that you’ll be living in St Louis with an SF salary. You will not find a similar salary in St Louis. If you want to quit your job and maintain your standard of living you’re left with some tough choices.