I would say in Brisbane, Australia the average pay for a Mid level is a $110k AUD package, with seniors being $130k AUD up. Keep in mind Australian listed salaries are often BASE. On top of this you need to factor an additional 9.5% superannuation (A kind of mandatory retirement savings) that must be paid. Project labour charge out rates start at $150 AUD an hour for a junior. Seniors can cost over $300 an hour. We are a high labour cost market.

Firstly most companies don't roll their own software, a lot of stuff is done with off the shelf products, and maybe some outsourced customization (especially in the web space). Custom software is typically only developed if 1.) there is a pressing need and 2.) there is nothing that can already fit the bill and 3.) it will result in a large enough business benefit to cover the cost.

Now there are things SMBs that do create software do to get better efficiency. Firstly teams tend to be smaller, often with a push for everyone to be "Full Stack". Originally this was Backend + Frontend, but this is often including DevOps, QA and more. Teams will often require everyone to work in every skill area at least at a junior level. Secondly there is a push in a lot of organisations for more then 38 hours of work a week in anywhere that is billing out staff.