Realistically the costs for the company are higher. At least in The Netherlands the total costs for the employer is between 2-3x because of social security, health insurance, pension, housing/office costs.

I've been an employer in NL for close to 30 years and the 2-3x fully loaded is not supported by any data that I'm aware of. 1.5 or so is more like it.

Not even close to true. Especially when comparing California with EU countries, even high tax rate ones. The difference between net salary and what company pays is actually very similar.

I have experience with Belgium, the 2 - 3x ratio is only true when considering the net wage of the employee.

> 600k year for 2-3 is only real in the silicon valley bubble.

Nope. You're forgetting the cost to the company is the burdened labor cost (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_burden), not just wages. Payroll taxes, benefits, office space and equipment, etc. can add another 30-40% to the cost of wages.

Im not forgetting labor cost. I would actually say payroll tax, benefits and office space are even higher in California than any European country.

Can confirm. In fact, you can get talented people starting at 70k. Hire some remotes. Most local companies can only offer non-inspiring typical enterprise work, and that's why you can get people at such low cost.