Well if you've never used Java (or c#), that might be your main problem. I'm telling you my experiences hiring as a manager over 10 years ago - all the senior Java devs on the program (about 8) were $90-120/hour. Architects were $150. PMs were $150. All independents through an agency with minimal markup ($3-4 per hour). I'm also speaking as an IC at times that's charged $150-250 an hour for over 20 years depending on the role. Rates these days are even higher.

These rates are at financial services , banks, transportation / logistics, manufacturing, telecom, etc. in Canada, US, and Japan.

You should read patio11's posts on this topic on HN or his website, for example : https://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/09/21/ramit-sethi-and-patrick...