Highest pay of course doesn't necessarily been best reward for effort/time expended. You have to look at the overall package.
A parameter I quite like when comparing salary in different countries is the number of units of time that you have to work to pay for a litre of petrol in said country.
Thats before we mention all sorts of benefits in kind (Ryanair excluded) and matters such as pensions, medical insurance, loss of licence etc - the list is endless.