I chose a condo because I didn't want to have to deal with the upkeep of a yard, actually. Now, I kinda wish I'd chosen a house because I don't feel right getting a dog unless I have a backyard, and I'd like a garage for a workshop. The house general price per sqare foot in Charlotte ranges from $100-$200/sqft, SF is $800-1000/sqft. I was just trying to give an example for perspective, to retort the parent post. Being generous, cost of living in those kinds of locations is 4 times as high, so the higher wages (and taxes) rarely make up for it.
I'll say though, one big benefit of living in one of these expensive locations is future mobility. If you manage to suck it up and pay off significant chunks of your mortgage rather than refinancing repeatedly over a 15 year period, it allows you to move wherever you want to in the future. If I really tried I could pay off my condo in 7-8 years, but it wouldn't really add much to my mobility, because the equity would be barely a down payment in one of the expensive cities and I'd have to start all over again. I do get more room for early investing early though due to no major debt.