Does it make sense to move from Bay Area to Phoenix, AZ?

to buy a house and live in it...
Staying at VMware will result with getting 18-28% pay cut.

I’m renting a room in bay area to save as much money as I can until I get older and can’t take this kind of living style with roommates anymore.

Investing and having a big cushion to fall on helps me to have a peace of mind instead of getting an apartment for myself and paying for someone else’s mortgage in the bay area.

Do you think being in Phoenix, AZ will make it harder for me to switch between tech companies in the future? Are there any downsides other than the pay cut? Do you think COVID already broke apart the tech community in the Silicon Valley and there is no reason to stay here?

I used to put a sticker on my laptop that says “I’m mobile app developer, come talk to me” and sit at some local coffeeshop in palo alto or fremont 4-5 years ago. I ended up talking to 5-10 people and earned money from developing stuff for startups and companies etc. It was definitely challenging and FUN to know more people and do cool stuff for them. Good times before COVID

I used to go to meetups or events to meet other tech people.
I used to go on a date with people working at FAANG or startup and learn stuff from them and end up being friends in the worst scenario.

All that networking and socializing stuff NOT HAPPENING ANYMORE. Everyone is just gone.

That culture definitely died. Everywhere is closed due to covid. No indoor seating anywhere since June. No one in my social circle is starting businesses. The competition increased since only bigger companies continue to hire. I haven’t left the house to go anywhere significant since May.

Do you think that it’s worth to stay in bay area and continue to live miserable or pay for expensive apartments and have tiny savings?

Or should I just leave and buy a house in Arizona from $250k? And live comfortably while working from home? #wfh #remotework