You do 10 years. Let's do 8 years instead so we take our next move age even 30. Using your numbers there's 465.5 saved total. But we put that in the market each year in boring run of the mill bread and butter commodity stocks with half decent dividends and reinvest the dividends. Over all we see a modest 7% annual return from the market all together, both gains and dividends. So we're 30 and have $625k in fungible stocks that can be cashed in. Similar to 617.5k but somehow having 0% returns, and we're 2 years ahead.

So the only option is to buy a lousy house in a bad neighborhood with crime in a city where homeless guys are blowing each other on the sidewalks which are strewn with feces and AIDS infected heroin needles?

No of course not. If in such an area the only rational thing is to move to another area.

Now if you bought a house in this hot market that house appreciated more than 7% for these 8 yrs. But you also were paying 4% or so on a mortgage. Still you have a big gain. You paid $480,000 for a condo in 2010 and now it's worth $1.3 million (12.5% APR). BTW, I'm using real numbers for a family member's property in the bay area with these exact years. So that's nice cash infusion as well, rather than losing money on rent. However ignore that, let's just go with rent and stock gains instead, which I recommend anyway. I don't recommend people pay cash for houses like I do unless they have a reasonable justification for doing so. It's better to let the bank front it when mortgage rates are low as they are.

Anyway so you get a transfer to Topeka or Bismarck or Austin or Durham. You buy a mansion with a swimming pool and a horse barn on a 2 acre parcel. Or maybe you decide to commute 10 minutes from outside town where you buy a 4500 sq ft farm house on 75 acres of land. And you pay $250,000 either way. If you had bought your condo in 2012 you have around $1 million to spend, if not you have around $625k to spend. The rest you leave in those stocks.

You took a big salary hit moving. Went from $140k with $300k in bonuses and equity to $110k and $300k in equity/bonuses if managed to move in-company but different office across country, or $110k and no equity if not. Either way your living expenses drop to near zero. Company has full benefits so you're paying utilities, low property tax, and food. Maybe $500 a month total since your mansion is paid off. Now you have $104k a year to stuff into those low yield commodity stocks.

But you get "lucky", like everyone who invests long term. It's not luck, it's just persistence. One of those stocks takes off. Or maybe you have an equity event in a company you're consulting with who couldn't pay market rate. So that's a few million here or there.

I'm not lucky or special. I just do basic common sense stuff and avoid stupid stuff. I know car mechanics who have done better than me by retirement with their investments because they took more risks. But I have done OK and my value is above $30M. I'm old and now have health problems, so it's nice.