Of course it would be my problem if the employer is underpaying everybody. In fact one of the things I consider when accepting pay offer - as I explained during that step of the process, is whether this would be a reasonable amount to pay other people who might be able to do the job. Taking jobs which don't pay a living wage undercuts their ability to negotiate a reasonable price for their labour.

It's true that it's also necessary to confirm that the job pays enough that it doesn't actually cause me hardship to work there, but of course the advertised range for the position was comfortably more than that. My operating costs are in fact slightly lower than the calculated "Cost of living" in this country.

From your entirely selfish point of view I'm sure being paid less than half as much as before would be totally unacceptable, but it wasn't a big concern for me. It's just a number. Good luck achieving happiness by making your number go up more.