Plus, having the flexibility to live where you choose has value in itself. Some people might prefer to live in their home town near their aging parents or in a cabin in the Rockies or an area that‘s more beneficial for their allergies, none of which are measured by “cost of living”. I remember a rather well-known music professor who lived in upstate New York, while his wife who was also a professor lived lived in Tennessee, because that was where each of them could get tenure. Telecommuting would have benefitted them in ways that went far beyond the cost of a second apartment.