I don’t really think “should” comes up in those discussions. Companies pay as little as they can get away with, restricted by the need to retain talent.
People in higher cost of living areas will probably end up with higher salaries in general because, for a given level of financial wellbeing, they need a higher salary. So they’ll be more incentivized to do more things that result in higher salaries: move jobs, go for promotions, negotiate more, etc.
I don’t really think “should” comes up in those discussions. Companies pay as little as they can get away with, restricted by the need to retain talent.
People in higher cost of living areas will probably end up with higher salaries in general because, for a given level of financial wellbeing, they need a higher salary. So they’ll be more incentivized to do more things that result in higher salaries: move jobs, go for promotions, negotiate more, etc.