[umeshunni]

> As a software engineer, of course I think I should make the same regardless of I'm on-site or remote.

Yup, this is super tricky.

Even if the company pays me the same, I don't make the same whether I live in SF BA vs in Denver (13% income tax in CA vs 5% in CO). Additionally, I don't need to make the same whether I live in SF or in Denver. I would spend 5% less purely because a similar house in a similar suburb with similar schools costs 25% less to rent in Denver than in SF Bay Area. In other words, with no discernible drop in quality of life, I could make 10-15% less than in SF BA and live a similar life in Denver.

This isn't even considering quality of life improvements (which are subjective) or the cost of buying (which is also more subjective but also has to factor in risk, appreciation etc)