Why do only a few places compensate for a higher cost of living with higher pay?|154987

My good friend is from FL. He wants to move back. I tell him that hes crazy beacuse the cost of living is very high and as far as I can tell the pay for most jobs is about the same as it is here in the midwest. Im really instrested in relcoating when I graduate. To me the only places where people seem to make to more money based on cost of living are Californa and Northeasten states.Am I wrong???

I don_t think every location compensates just for cost of living, some compensate for the quality of life. I had a friend who lived in the middle of Alaska and made really good money, but there was nothing to do, no where to go, and nearly nothing to spend it on. That lasted a short time, he would rather make less pay and live in a major city that was warm for part of the year. Go figure.