My local city, but the data isn't so much mine as data that the US government shares.
Sacramento, CA.
Mean Salary (per latest BLS data) [0] for Software Developer, Applications: $107,540; for Web Developer: $78,050
Sacramento, CA Gitlab locality pay index: 0.39+0.25=0.51
Vs.
New York City, same BLS figures [1]: $108,770/$81,430
NYC Gitlab locality pay index: 1.00+0.25=1.25
Sac/NYC Salary Ratio (BLS): 0.989/0.958
Sac/NYC Salary Ratio (Gitlab): 0.512
Fundamentally, the rent index based methodology you are using is, I would guess, giving you below market pay almost everywhere that isn't NYC or San Francisco, assuming that you've hit the market wage for the skills you are targeting in your NYC baseline.
[0] https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_40900.htm#15-0000
[1] https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_35620.htm#15-0000
Sacramento, CA. Mean Salary (per latest BLS data) [0] for Software Developer, Applications: $107,540; for Web Developer: $78,050
Sacramento, CA Gitlab locality pay index: 0.39+0.25=0.51
Vs.
New York City, same BLS figures [1]: $108,770/$81,430
NYC Gitlab locality pay index: 1.00+0.25=1.25
Sac/NYC Salary Ratio (BLS): 0.989/0.958
Sac/NYC Salary Ratio (Gitlab): 0.512
Fundamentally, the rent index based methodology you are using is, I would guess, giving you below market pay almost everywhere that isn't NYC or San Francisco, assuming that you've hit the market wage for the skills you are targeting in your NYC baseline.
[0] https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_40900.htm#15-0000
[1] https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_35620.htm#15-0000