[omegote]

I can kind of relate to the author. Here in Spain, programming salaries are way _way_ further from those in the UK, let alone the US. The average wage for a senior developer is around 35k€ to 40k€ (roughly 48k USD). The technologies are the same, the working hours are the same, heck I even have to read, write and speak English on a daily basis even tho I'm in Spain, but the salaries are nowhere near.

What's even funnier is that the technologies I work with are not that common. In comparison, finding a C++ developer with good knowledge of Linux internals (e.g. me) is much harder than finding front-end web developers, but the former are getting paid way less than the later.

The difference with the OP is that I've analyzed the situation and I know that, if I want to improve my financial status, I have to move abroad or start freelancing, but I prefer the current stability I have. Not sure about the future tho.

[leothekim]

I’ve worked with programmers in Spain and have limited salary information. They are definitely much lower compared to, say, New York. However, cost of living in Madrid was nowhere near New York. For example, I could get a beer and ham sandwich at Museo del Jamon for about 2€. Compare that to paying $15 for a salad.

[omegote]

Sure, the cost of living is way lower, but given the ability of working remotely for companies abroad, there shouldn't be such a large gap. I think (and hope) it's a matter of time for most developers to realize how many opportunities there are for working remotely with better economical conditions, and along with that local businesses will have to up their game as well.