Low ass cost of living is fucking king over high wage plus high cost of living if you're young.
After college I worked making $16 CAD an hour and paid off my student loan, later on I got in on the very tail end of the Canadian oil boom and now I have nearly $20k in the bank.
I am fortunate to live on an ancestral family property so I only have to pay utilities and taxes.
I know not everyone has this privilege, but keeping costs low provides a great sense of financial security.