I miss the mountains and the beaches, but I do NOT miss what has been done to everything else. Here, I can live comfortably on $25K a year. My mom had to move out of the home she had lived in longest five years after I left, because the rent got bumped up to $1,000/month. She wasn’t making that much.
Know what they call a guy who makes $50K a year in LA? Homeless. That was almost true in Sunnyvale, up north, within that same five-year period. You want it, you can have it.
Oh, and I couldn't help but noticed you decided not to reveal the paradise you live in now. That's very typical and helps avoid appearing foolish...
Of course you can use the excuse that you are wanting to avoid reveling the secret location of your paradise, so as to avoid others moving there.....lol
Good luck with that.