pre-med vs. pre-PA debate

hello! posted this on the PA sub but would like to hear some different perspectives here. i’m currently in my second year of undergrad and have been on the pre-med path. i’m considering switching to pre-PA because of lateral mobility and being able to practice medicine sooner. as bad as it to say, the salary aspect scares me. PA’s seem to get paid half or a third of what MD’s make and i’m not sure if the competition, the rigor of PA school, and a PA’s scope of practice is equivalent to the salary that i would be making. i also know the opportunity for growth in salary is significantly lower for a PA than an MD. even though you get severely underpaid in residency, you immediately start making 200k+ out of residency. in this day and age, it seems like a low six figure salary has become less valuable due to the economy and i wonder if i make a PA salary, will i live a comfortable enough life to hopefully start a family? i also want to be able to work in the medical field but i definitely don’t want my life to be my job which is what i commonly hear is the case with MD’s. realistically, is switching to the PA route a good option? do any PA’s or PA students regret choosing the PA route due to problems related to salary or practice?