“most EAs should probably not be living in high cost-of-living (HCOL) areas most of the time” by matthes

If you work a job that can mostly be done from anywhere[1], you should ask yourself if you are spending too much money on housing. I felt prompted to write this post by the recent increased push for EAs to move to the Bay. Multiple people have urged me personally to relocate. Most of them want me to work on AI safety, but the move-to-the-Bay meme is now also strong in animal welfare. I remain unconvinced, although I am always open to visiting if there is something specific for me to do there. the core case Significant additional spare money isn’t just great for donating, but it can also make it easier to have an impactful career, as you can afford to: take more risks (e.g. start a new org that might fail) spend more time on your job search whenever it's time to find your next step spend more time upskilling spend more time and money on your mental and physical health generally worry less day-to-day about food and other essentials for yourself and your dependents All of the above have massive benefits for your long-term impact and wellbeing. Moving to a cheaper area might [...] --- Outline: (00:42) the core case (03:03) example (04:18) miscellaneous related thoughts The original text contained 1 footnote which was omitted from this narration. --- First published: July 2nd, 2026 Source: --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO . --- Images from the article: Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts , or another podcast app.