Still, it’s highly location-dependent, and mileage varies drastically between countries.

I’m an SWE with a background in maths and CS in Croatia, and my annual comp is less than what you claim here. Not drastically, but comparing my comp to the rest of the EU it’s disappointing, although I am very well paid compared to my fellow citizens. My SRE/devops friends are in a similar situation.

I am always surprised to see such a lack of understanding of economic differences between countries. Looking through Indeed, a McDonald’s manager in the US makes noticeably more than anyone in software in southeast Europe.