[eldavido]

This is a foolish question, but that's the point. There is simply no objective way to analyze this.

It all comes down to which group the people signing the checks value. I often say "pay is a social construct" and this is what I mean -- there's no objective basis for any of it. I think devs are paid better in the Bay Area than elsewhere just because we're assumed to be more important here relative to other parts of the US/world.

There is no objective reality here, just a bunch of beliefs.