> but if companies are expected to compensate for higher cost of living, shouldn't they be equally expected to take it away if a person moves to lower cost of l

> but if companies are expected to compensate for higher cost of living, shouldn't they be equally expected to take it away if a person moves to lower cost of living. The rub is that remote employees in tech have no bargaining power. This is the main reason why companies can and will pay lower salaries.