In small towns near New York, salaries are several times less than in NY. It's true. But it should be borne in mind that every villager has a vegetable garden and a household. Residents of a small town eat from vegetable gardens, raise poultry and livestock. Therefore, they only need money for clothes and utility bills. So it was quite fair to set them lower salaries than in the state capital, where they have to buy food, among other things. In addition, a resident of the capital needs to visit cultural institutions and buy a car. While in small cozy towns everything is close to each other. And there are also a lot of forests beyond New York. You can catch foxes, make yourself a fur coat. In fact, people living in small towns are dressed in the finest furs, which are very expensive in the capital. It is not surprising that their salaries are lower. In fact, they don't really need money.