I worked in a HCOL area for 6 years as a fed. Same area for the whole time and loved it. Okay money, solid benefits, amazing culture and list of things to do. My wife and I are both from the same LCOL area. While we built up a network and loved our time in the HCOL area, we knew that it was always going to be a temporary endeavor and that we would be moving back to be nearer to our family and friend networks that we grew up with.
My wife and I came to the decision in January that we weren't going to renew our apartment lease that was set to expire at the end of June. From that moment forward, we acted as if we were moving. That in itself was somewhat liberating.
Then came the workplace conversations. I told my boss that I appreciated the work that we do and our team very much, but that I would be leaving. I threw in the caveat that if we could work out something, I would be happy to do the same job in a 100% remote* capacity. I didn't (nor did my wife) have anything lined up and I didn't really have any confidence that some sort of arrangement would be worked out. The only thing I knew was that we would be moving in the summer. I assumed I was giving myself roughly 5 months to find a new career.
*This comes with its own set of issues but the positives have outweighed the negatives thus far by a country mile.
Long story short, I'm typing this after having transitioned to the LCOL area this past weekend and am now working remotely. I could get used to this no-commute thing!
