Pretty much yeah. The price for groceries or bills don't differ too much between EU countries at this point, but the price of real estate and having your own place either paid off or secured at a good price and a good rate makes the biggest difference.

Earning 50% more before tax somewhere else is not a good deal if there's 200 people fighting for every moldy 20sqm apartment that hasn't seen a renovation in 50 years, and you also no real chance of affording to buy something decent in that area.

Real estate is messed up in EU at the moment. Far too expensive considering the wages and rates.

Absolutely in the UK and especially London, I could have a much more comfortable life on a much reduced salary had I brought a house 10 years ago.

cost of living is highly relevant when you compare salary data because it's one of the primary factors that determines the cost of labor.

If you pay a Berlin salary in SF nobody's gonna show up because that doesn't cover your apartment rent. It tells you little about how much you effectively pocket. If you want to get some use out of this data you need to adjust it for purchasing power.