Pay and expenses are, globally, highly unusual. We also get "tricked" by the Anglophone similarities of Canada the UK into thinking we're all sort of the same place. But the reality is the the US generates more revenue, and thus pays more, and protects its tech sector better than anywhere else in the Anglosphere. Great paying jobs in the US, that might make $180k USD make $50k USD in central Europe.

As much as Americans think of the UK as a sort of second status foreign overseas territory, and as much as the UK think they're an extra special independent peanut, they're just as much a part of the European pay and expense scheme as anybody else in the mainland is.

Globally, tech workers are worth $40-95k USD. It sucks, but that's what it is.