> and employers believe it is fair to adjust the salary to provide a similar quality of life to both
That's bullshit. E.g. electronics cost the same in all countries.
> and employers believe it is fair to adjust the salary to provide a similar quality of life to both
That's bullshit. E.g. electronics cost the same in all countries.
Actually, no they don't. With various forms of VAT and tariffs, things definitely do not cost the same in all countries.
The point is that they are definitely not cheaper than in the US
Is that true still? I don't go searching prices in foreign markets, but something like the RPi being a UK piece of kit seems like it would now be more expensive in the US compared to UK simply based on recent tariffs being applied.
I generally pay 2x-3x the US price.
There are definitely countries with more expensive electronics.
Sure, but how much of your wage do you spend buying electronics? The vast majority of my salary goes to fixed expenses like housing, food, healthcare, energy, and transport. Those are all highly location-dependent.
In location A you might spend 80% of your salary on fixed expenses, whereas in location B you only need to spend 20% of that same salary to pay for those expenses - leaving you with far more money for discretionary spending.
For sure, but that doesn't justify doing that per country. If you live in SF you could be spending 80% on fixed expenses, but I'm sure that in the US there are places where you could be spending 20%. This applies to other countries as well.
Most companies doing cost-of-living adjustment do it on a finer scale than just country. Someone in SF will indeed be paid more than someone in Dustbowl, USA.