My daughter is a teacher with a Masters in a red Midwestern state. I think pay is comparable as is the cost of living. If she was single, she'd have a different standard of living for sure.

One thing though... if she taught in Vermont I don't think she'd have to deal with book bans, outing trans kids to parents, critical race theory, and school board members who get elected solely on their anti-mask, Christian values positions. The latest priority is defunding public schools with private religious school vouchers. I am not sure how much longer she's going to last in education.