The "meals ($15/day)" think was a bit of a red flag for me. I think that americans are so used to very high salaries that they live in a very high salary way, which includes eating out at the canteen every day.
Btw this is what keeps americans in america, and also those that get jobs in america get stuck in america: the wages in academia, as you say when adjusted for cost of living, are far higher than almost anywhere else. The main exception being academic jobs in China which pay an absurd amount. I know a lot of professors from around the world who are "stuck" in america bc they are so used to wages like $107k a year. I think it's just a symptom of entitlement culture: "I'm doing an important and noble job so I should be able to live without even thinking about my spending"
Btw this is what keeps americans in america, and also those that get jobs in america get stuck in america: the wages in academia, as you say when adjusted for cost of living, are far higher than almost anywhere else. The main exception being academic jobs in China which pay an absurd amount. I know a lot of professors from around the world who are "stuck" in america bc they are so used to wages like $107k a year. I think it's just a symptom of entitlement culture: "I'm doing an important and noble job so I should be able to live without even thinking about my spending"