You might have to adjust your statistics regionally for income. Middle class in California is upper middle class everywhere else, even adjusting for salary reduction. Leaving California put us in the 90th percentile for family income in our new region even accounting for change in salary, vs 75th back in the South Bay. That opens up a lot more opportunity for leisure and better schools - we don't have to live in a middling caliber town or neighborhood anymore.
Also, owning a home is a massive improvement in quality of life. Something we couldn't do in California. No more shared walls, a garage, a home office, backyard, basement hobby space, spare bedroom, nursery... I would have to double or triple my take home pay (not everyone takes equity to pay down a mortgage) to have the same quality of home in my old neighborhood than I do today.
Weather is meh, we can afford central heating and cooling and there aren't wildfires that turn the air to poison for days at a time. Snow be damned.