“Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me and for the offer. I was excited to get into the pace of things. Regrettably, I cannot accept. Cost of living and housing qualification standards have made working at that wage unaffordable, stressful beyond necessity, and ultimately, unrewarding. I wish the numbers panned out differently, but these are our community’s material conditions and I cannot negotiate with reality. I would be really grateful if I were in consideration for other positions with higher compensation, I’m certainly qualified. It has been wonderful getting to know you and I hope we cross paths again soon!”
I know, I’m way too nice to these people.