Can living somewhere with a lower cost of living potentially inhibit someone from living somewhere with a higher cost of living later in life?
For example if someone works in a small town with cheaper housing and lower relative salary most of their life, would they likely have the means to live/retire somewhere with a much higher cost of living (e.g., a larger city) as opposed to someone trying to the do the opposite (higher cost of living and higher relative salary)?
It seems like a person would acquire much more in terms of overall assets living in an area that has a higher cost of living with a commensurate higher rate of income. This would seem to give someone in this situation much more mobility in terms of where they could potentially live and retire later in life.
(I am assuming a person would be doing comparable work in both situations.)
It just doesn't seem to be something that equals out in the end from what I can see...