"And I can't tell you how disappointed I get, as companies that have quite the reputation come to me with salaries that are somewhere between 1000 EUR and 2000

"And I can't tell you how disappointed I get, as companies that have quite the reputation come to me with salaries that are somewhere between 1000 EUR and 2000 EUR ... which really, is downright insulting." Ugh! That is /terrible/ for talent anywhere to have to put up with. We have two developers, one Turkish and one Indian who worked for us here in the States for several years each. Excellent developers. Now they both remote in from their home countries and still make their original salaries. I think that might be a decent model for those that can do it. Move to a host country, develop the trust that only working in the same office can give, then carve out your own situation as you see fit, whether it is travelling the U.S. in an RV, or moving to the deep suburbs or moving back home even if that home is on the other side of the planet. Overall it will accelerate the trend to parity all over the world.