To be fair, living costs are also much lower. I'd estimate living costs in the US to be on average at least 30-40% higher, plus high property costs in the Bay Area. Germany has some expensive areas but most parts are still relatively cheap compared to many US cities or places like London or Paris.

To be fair, property prices in Germany (buying) are insane, and if you account for that, it makes the salaries seem low. Munich is currently on par with the bay area per square footage/meters, at much lower salaries.

And unless you've been grandfathered into a rent controlled apartment, inner city rents for newcomers are overpriced AF, especially after the new rent controll law kicked in in Berlin, further restricting supply and increased the prices for newcomers.

And in low CoL areas in Germany there are almost no IT jobs and pay less than quoted above.