Exactly who is consistently basing pay off of region? I’ve never seen NYC lumped in the same end of the pay band as Philly for remote positions, and I fully understand why. Philly at best is considered MCOL, and unless the company simply has no pay band (which likely makes them less competitive in pay), then there’s definitely usually an earning difference between cost of living/business and not an entire region. Add to that the difference in “potential income”, losses you’ll face by staying in Philly, and then it makes sense as to why we leave for other cities out of school.

Idk if “nyc money” is a general statement meant to mean high paying for standard Philly income, but although I have a high paying remote job, it’s still less than what I’d make in sf or nyc, and that’s the case at most of the places I know hiring early careers. Over time if I choose to stay in Philly, it’d become a drastically bigger gap, so I have more reason to leave at a higher position.