I could have....
My wife has a pretty sweet remote work gig and I worked out a couple seasonal gigs. The housing price was the deciding factor though. 3 bed 1.5 bath 1800 foot duplex on about an acre for $74k vs a 950 foot fixer upper for $300k on Florida's gulf coast.
Seriously I pay less for two housing units here than we'd have paid on hoa fees down there.