Good point. In Eastern Europe a decent programmer earns 35-45K after tax. I know it because I work with developers from Eastern Europe. 12-16K is more a fresh grad level, really junior.
That's exactly the point. Also keep in mind that it's not uncommon for developers in Eastern Europe to pay only 5-10% income tax when they register as private entrepreneurs (and benefit from small business tax reliefs), far lower than the tax rate in the US.