[erikb]

Which is not much, if you could've gotten $500M more in investments.

My experience is the complete opposite of Tim Ferris Wisdoms TM. If you are where the money is at, you have vastly more opportunity to participate on the receiving end of money flows as well as information flows. So if you are a keen developer in SF you will not live on $60k for long, but rather quickly bargain your pay up the food chain to $120k or $150k. And then check out how well you can live on $120k in Thailand, you know?

There are two exceptions to this rule of following the money, though.

Exception 1: When you hit the ceiling. It might be much higher than you initially thought, but there is one. And when you hit it, it might be more reasonable to try to stabilize on that level and find a more peaceful and cheap environment to live in.

Exception 2: When the current location is over hyped. Bay Area might still be in that phase where prices really are too ridiculously high. If you spend more than $60k/year on rent alone then maybe it's not wise to go there for $120k. But it might still be worth an internship or finding customers there.