<prompt> Human: I was just offered a nice gig in Hollywood. It pays very well but the commute is going to suck until I relocate. Houses in Pasadena, Alahambra, and Glendale are sky-high for thoroughly below-average homes. Is making all the extra money even worth it? Would I be better off living in the midwest making less salary? Hollywood and surrounding La areas does have a great Market for software engineers and theyre willing to pay top dollar. Arizona probably not much. What do you guys think?  <response>: I had this choice and I picked the lower cost of living area and I am VERY happy with my decision. Ultimately, I enjoy the perks of living in a MCOL area easy commute, no traffic, easy shoppingerrands, affordable renthousing prices, laid back people, and I can get out of the city easily and go play in the outdoors, which is what I really love. Id really ask yourself whether you WANT to live in LA vs. AZ, and let that guide your choice. With that kind of pay difference you could probably afford similar lifestyles in either place.Edit: I wanted to edit what I wrote because I thought of one more thing thats important. Now that I live in a lower cost of living area, I can choose to live under what I can afford and have a lot less financial stress. For example, I live in an older 3br home in a good though not fancy neighborhood with a 10 minute commute to work and all of my housing costs e.g., rent, utilities, etc. are 11 of my income. In CA I would definitely be paying close to the 30 of income max rule for a home where I could raise a family. So while you can afford both cities, in LA you would probably lose the option of being able to live more cheaply and save a lot more money that way. 