I truly appreciate the thoughtful reply, really - we comply with most of if not all of it.

Unfortunately, the last 10-15 years has truly shifted what was once a low or middle tier CoL area into a higher tier. The Carolina Lowcountry went from hidden gem to a playground for the rich, or as a friend once put it “Antebellum Disneyland.”

I’ve used the example in other areas - my first team lead bought his house at 300k and sold it for over 1M last year. You just can’t compete anymore, I get similar stories from my Nashville and Texas colleagues.

The only winning move is to not play.

> I’ve used the example in other areas - my first team lead bought his house at 300k and sold it for over 1M last year.

Yikes. How big is the house?

I assure you that I live in an above average COL area, and with $200K it's doable. With $300K you can get most of the luxuries I mentioned in the list (but won't retire early).