I'm afraid this is anecdata. I'd expect a dev with ~4 years most places to not get that much. The how much doesn't matter, it's the idea that you get 500% that

I'm afraid this is anecdata. I'd expect a dev with ~4 years most places to not get that much. The how much doesn't matter, it's the idea that you get 500% that is clearly nuts. I mean - why would firms not be queuing up to cut their wages by 80% in the same timezone? Makes zero sense and doesn't accord with any figures. Also it's not a sane comparison at the start of your career. You have ~2 years then move and have ~4 years and your salary went up? Is that location related or related to the fact that you are now actually useful instead of learning the ropes? Avg developer salary in the US is ~80k. So to meet your 500% dev in Canada would be earning less than part-time hot-dog sellers. I work with people in NY every day. They work longer hours. I think if you asked most tech in big cities if their day is longer they'd agree.