So $125k is much more likely in one of the big cities where cost of living is dominated by real estate.<p>Since we tax <i>labor</i> and we don&#x27;t tax <i>land</i>, this raises the suck factor. $125k in Northern Alabama probably means a darn good living. In SanFran? Probably not.<p>Also, Dallas used to be the place where land was cheap(er) and jobs paid relatively well, but that ended after Enron.