Rent is a day-to-day concern that does not matter in long term. Opportunities give you access to experience, connections and reputation that will stay will stack up and stay with you throughout your entire career.
To put it other way: resources sunk into cost of living add up linearly over time, the benefits of (exploited) opportunities get amplified and yield exponential results over the years. You want to go for the exponential curve.
I disagree. Day to day concerns are exactly what turn into 5-10 year issues. Non-software people get shocked when they hear you make over 100K and can't save much. I do agree that part of it is that what we take for being a normal standard of living is pretty up there. But still ... I find it sad/messed up that after working for 5+ years in a high income, high rent part of the country, I am no closer to buying a house/condo. I just have 50K in the bank. About 100K in retirement. Makes me want to cry :'(
To put it other way: resources sunk into cost of living add up linearly over time, the benefits of (exploited) opportunities get amplified and yield exponential results over the years. You want to go for the exponential curve.