[TomMarius]

Employment is a whole different world because of various compulsory benefits, compensations for time not worked, much higher taxation etc.

You have to transform yourself into a consultant, being a contractor locks you into the rates you mentioned (the ceiling is around $50 to $70; big agencies are able to sell contractors to enterprises for around $80). It's not for everyone though, the rate is higher for a reason, you have to do a lot more things yourself and many devs don't enjoy doing them. Narrowing you specialization helps very much; it's also helpful to choose only a few (around 2) verticals (e.g. logistics, material production, ...) that you work in and mention that to everyone.