The median software developer job is not in a high-cost area. $110k is less than what the median software developer is paid in e.g. Omaha, Nebraska, where the median house price is $275k.
In the US, software developers are highly compensated by local standards almost regardless of where they live. That was not always the case decades ago but it is today.
Any numbers to back you up? (Other than your one cherry picked city)
If you look at the top 10 states for software jobs, you will see that they fall in the higher end of the distribution for cost of living.
Even looking at your cheery picked example, we see the salary and cost of living track roughly - median dev salary is about $95k based on multiple sources and COL is about 7% lower than the national average.
Yes, devs do tend to fall on the higher side of a local median than others. Hence my point about unions not being just for more money.
In the US, software developers are highly compensated by local standards almost regardless of where they live. That was not always the case decades ago but it is today.