Just cutting in here to point out that cost of living can vary a lot even within the same country and wages can often reflect that. For example Sydney and Newcastle can have different pay rates for the same job, as Sydney is more expensive to live in. This is despite them being in the same state, having very similar demographics, and being just 2 hours drive apart.

Wage rates and bands will fluctuate a lot between locations and this is a good thing as it means that the take home pay can be comparable in buying power after taking COL into account.