That's interesting. I've just started working for a Canadian startup based in Vancouver and the pay is actually "fair" Canadian market price for someone of my experience level.

Not sure if it's a difference in culture but my small team (a mix of Canadians and Americans) is super respectful of people's personal time. e.g. no texting during after-work hours even with tight and critical deadlines. You're also free to run a personal errand during work as long as you deliver on your tasks at the end of the day. And since it is an interesting work with lots of learning opportunities, a lower pay (compared to an American startup) is a nice trade-off for me if I get a more relaxed work environment. Although I'm sure this is not true of all startups in either country.

I'd love to connect with you and share experiences. Feel free to message me on Discord (Tag in my profile).

Yah there's another aspect to that, too, which is that American startups are in my experience better managed than in Canada and the investment and startup community far better in the US.

After working at a local startup it becomes clear that most of the founders all know each other, went to private school together, etc. etc. it's kinda gross. A bit over a decade ago I worked at one, had a bad experience, and then went to work for a New York HQ'd late stage startup -- higher pay, good management, decent people, decently managed, and was acquired by Google a year later.