The point I was trying to make is that money is not a cure-all.

Yes, with a high enough salary, you may be able to move downtown.

But is that actually a replacement for a small-ish home with a yard, a drive, potentially a garage, etc?

Of course not.

I don't think it's necessary for there to be a choice between 'live downtown' and 'live far out but have a horrible commute'.

As far as I can tell, lots of 'business-to-business' style companies don't need to locate their office right in the centre of town. Neither does a dev shop that doesn't have retail clients that walk in on foot.

But they do, a lot. Why? Am I missing something blindingly obvious? Zoning laws? Owner can afford a mansion around the corner so doesn't care? It's a mystery to me; it really is.