I know Americans that worry about healthcare costs even if they have healthcare insurance, but now that I think of it, very few are from California so perhaps the laws or norms are different there.

Also, the big companies in the Bay Area aren't really what I'm talking about. Google tried to recruit me almost a decade ago and I turned them down. I don't want to be a cog in a machine that big. I'm comparing your typical 50 person startup to a typical 50 person startup in Canada. The salaries are about the same, but in their respective currencies. I could make $200k USD in America or I could make $200 CAD in Toronto. Shrug.

Thanks for the response.