a lot of things are 'reality'. that doesn't mean they're good. in one of the companies i worked for, i was paid 3x less than a junior, and we both worked remotely, but my salary was based on something i couldn't change nor influence since the company wasn't offering relocation.

if you're ready to pay us talent us salaries, it's shitty to pay emea people 2-3 times less under false pretense of "above average".