Thinking that they’re paying you some intrinsically fair rate for a quantifiable unit of work is nice, but not true. They pay the minimum they feel is required

Thinking that they’re paying you some intrinsically fair rate for a quantifiable unit of work is nice, but not true. They pay the minimum they feel is required to retain you and prevent you from going to a competitor. And if that amount exceeds the cost to hire someone who can do your job as good as you, they want you gone. That’s it. They know that working remotely from a place with a lower cost of living is a perk. They know even if you take a pay cut, you’ll come out ahead. They know the minimum they need to pay you to retain you has gone down.