[awb]

> Why does my location change the value of my work? Do I suddenly become better if I move to SF?

Plumbers charge more in SF than in rural Idaho.

A plumber that moves from Idaho to SF starts charging more because 1) they need to to compensate for the high cost of living and 2) to keep up with market rates.

SF would have no plumbers if they all thought it was immoral to charge more than their counterparts in Idaho for the same work.

And SF would collapse economically if all salaries in all industries across the city were suddenly paid based on a national average, independent of cost of living.

[vladvasiliu]

Right, but that's because if you live in SF, you need the plumber to physically be in SF. A plumber in [far away, cheap locale] is of no use to you, even if for free.

If this hypothetical plumber had a hypothetical way of traveling to SF for very little money and time, and would hence be able to charge much less than the local plumber, while having the exact same skills, which would you choose, and how much would you pay? If this hypothetical plumber now moved to SF for [reasons], would you pay more for his exact same service?