That's fair, I had the same experience coming from a lower COL area, and when I was interviewing I was able to negotiate for a higher salary and they adjusted.

That's fair, I had the same experience coming from a lower COL area, and when I was interviewing I was able to negotiate for a higher salary and they adjusted. If GitLab wants you badly enough then they'll do what every company does and try and make themselves competitive. You just have less leverage to negotiate in general because you're competing with international talent vs local talent.