> No matter how you try to spin this, it's by all accounts an act of discrimination to pay one person less than another purely based on where they live.. Compa

> No matter how you try to spin this, it's by all accounts an act of discrimination to pay one person less than another purely based on where they live.. Companies aren't gods charged with dispensing fair wages to us mortals. They are participants in the capitalist market. And in that market, all prices are a matter of negotiation. In any transaction, the buyer wants to pay as little as possible, and the seller wants to earn as much as possible. This isn't evil or greedy. It's a basic incentive that comes from the fact that people/companies/literally everyone prefers to have more money than less money. Thus, your company wants to pay you as little money as possible, and you want them to pay you as much as possible. The same is true when the roles are reversed and you're the one in the buyer position. For example, when you're shopping, you want to pay as low a price as possible, and the seller wants to charge as high a price as possible. Again, all prices are a matter of negotiation.. Power in a negotiation comes down to your BATNA, i.e. your best alternative if negotiation fails. Put simply, whoever cares the least has the most power. In a capitalist market, that BATNA for the buyer is the next cheapest option. The next furniture store that's selling this couch for cheaper. The next adequately qualified software engineer in the Bay Area who's selling their services for cheaper. And the BATNA for the seller is obviously the next most generous spender. The customer who's willing to pay a little more. The company that's willing to pay higher salaries. If it sounds like I'm conflating two concepts by comparing customers with employers, and businesses with employees, it's because you've been brainwashed into thinking these things are different. They're not. When money changes hands, whoever receives it is the business. Whoever pays it is the customer. That means, in the relationship between you and your employer, you are the business selling a service, and they are a customer paying for your service. Your salary is just a price. Your resume was an advertisement. Posting it everywhere was marketing. Interviewing was your sales pitch. As an employee, you are a business. (Someone just came along and renamed all the terms to confuse you.) Which raises the question: Why on earth would your customer voluntarily pay a higher price than they need to? If all the stores in your area are cheap, why would they pay you more for your services than your neighbor is asking for? When you travel to a country cheaper than yours, do you pay every restaurant, store, and taxi driver the same way you would at home? No, you don't. Because that would be foolish. You pay local rates, which are less. That's the same thing companies are doing when they pay lower salaries in cheaper areas.