Maybe not for the 300-500k/year region, but for the 80-200k/year region:
At least for software/engineering roles in big (non banking) companies a salary in the 90 - 120k region is quite possible, for product/sales people with all bonuses probably more. I got around 82k (plus variable bonus and retirement stuff) after 2.5years. 3rd job after my graduation. 6th or 7th (relevant) job all in all.
Considering how much lower the cost for living (compared to eg. SF is) and how much other stuff is covered (insurance, retirement, general infrastructure stuff), the divide is not that big. But it's still there (and pisses me off, too). The company I worked for payed considerably higher salaries for otherwise equal roles located in SF (and constantly complained about the quality they got for their money in SF). That was also often a reason quoted for lower yearly bonuses for the whole company, which again pissed everyone off..
Considering how much lower the cost for living (compared to eg. SF is) and how much other stuff is covered (insurance, retirement, general infrastructure stuff), the divide is not that big. But it's still there (and pisses me off, too). The company I worked for payed considerably higher salaries for otherwise equal roles located in SF (and constantly complained about the quality they got for their money in SF). That was also often a reason quoted for lower yearly bonuses for the whole company, which again pissed everyone off..