(And hey, Siberia isn't bad at all!)
One of the places in the world that's memetically terrible to the point it's known across the globe and multigenerationally as somewhere-you-don't-want-to-live isn't bad at all, huh. Old dumping ground of the USSR. A place with a population density roughly equivalent to Montana (which sucks significantly due to there not being anyone there).
*holds up sign saying "blink twice if you need help"*
No one not being coerced would say that with any seriousness, heh. It's like saying afghanistan's a nice place for a summer vacation 
Westerners really exaggerate how shitty it is, really.
I live in a decently-sized city. For privacy reasons not gonna say it but it's larger than most US cities. The population density doesn't matter when there are still urban centers with services and industry.
The taiga, which is what people tend to think of when they think of Siberia, yeah I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
And yes the cost of life is fairly cheap, cheaper than European Russia at least. Honestly I never felt a push to move to the European part of the country: when I move I'm leaving the country altogether. It's, from what I can tell, just not actually that big of a quality-of-life upgrade.
But sure, all memes are true. Bet you think there are bears walking around on the street too.