> Also it's impossible to not feel bad when you know that the junior eng. you are coaching due to perf issues makes more money than you, just because he lives in the US and you don't.

That sounds like a failure to negotiate properly.

> there are other places with a culture that resonates with me. So yes, USA might be better than my home country, but there are alternatives.

American culture was built by trailblazers, innovators and adventurers who left wherever they came from to build here. It's up to you to build the culture you want to see. Welcome!