You also need to compare apples to apples. Although all eyes here are focused on the few Western European bases, the majority of WZZ ops are from Eastern Europe and the Balkans. And pay over there is lower for all professions, not just for pilots - but so are living costs. So, it is still a decently paid job as per the overall standards of living in the countries where the majority of bases are. Moreover, most alternatives for pilots there aren't any better.