Software developer rates by country
Median salaries and remote contractor rates for junior, mid and senior developers in 31 countries, with how much of a London or New York working day each one overlaps. Every figure is sourced; the index is refreshed every quarter.
- Median senior salary
- $41,515
- across all countries, per year
- Octogle senior rate
- $30/hr
- client rate, all-in
- Overlap London 6h+
- 15 countries
- UK-friendly hours
- Overlap New York 6h+
- 5 countries
- US-friendly hours
All countries
Annual salaries in USD (FX 2026-10-14); click a column to sort.
| English | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sri Lanka | $5.0k | $6.7k | $32–$49 | 3h | — | low |
 Pakistan | $5.4k | $7.1k | $20–$45 | 3.5h | — | low |
 Nigeria | $4.2k | $9.2k | $34–$62 | Full day | 2.5h | high |
 Bangladesh | $4.5k | $11.2k | $18–$40 | 2.5h | — | moderate |
 Philippines | $11.3k | $15.7k | $32–$80 | 0.5h | — | high |
 India | $12.7k | $17.5k | $30–$72 | 3h | — | low |
 Egypt | $9.8k | $17.8k | $31–$44 | 6.5h | 1.5h | low |
 Vietnam | $13.9k | $18.5k | $40–$95 | 1.5h | — | moderate |
 Malaysia | $17.7k | $22.8k | $45–$105 | 0.5h | — | high |
 Indonesia | $9.7k | $24.8k | $34–$86 | 1.5h | — | low |
 Armenia | $18.3k | $36.7k | — | 4.5h | — | moderate |
 Argentina | $28.8k | $39.7k | $34–$45 | 5.5h | 6.5h | high |
 Chile | $33.0k | $40.2k | $32–$41 | 5.5h | 6.5h | moderate |
 Morocco | $17.6k | $41.4k | $34–$41 | Full day | 2.5h | low |
 Brazil | $31.1k | $41.5k | $35–$47 | 5.5h | 6.5h | low |
 Turkey | $30.3k | $41.5k | $35–$47 | 5.5h | 0.5h | low |
 Kenya | $18.4k | $46.0k | $33–$43 | 5.5h | 0.5h | high |
 Romania | $39.6k | $52.0k | $35–$47 | 6.5h | 1.5h | very high |
 Ukraine | $30.0k | $54.0k | $35–$45 | 6.5h | 1.5h | moderate |
 Croatia | $40.4k | $54.9k | $40–$45 | Full day | 2.5h | very high |
 Greece | $31.6k | $56.5k | $41–$50 | 6.5h | 1.5h | high |
 South Africa | $39.0k | $56.7k | $45–$64 | 6.5h | 1.5h | very high |
 Mexico | $51.3k | $59.1k | $33–$45 | 2.5h | Full day | very low |
 Bulgaria | $50.5k | $60.9k | $35–$46 | 6.5h | 1.5h | high |
 Hungary | $44.5k | $60.9k | $28–$29 | Full day | 2.5h | high |
 Poland | $46.1k | $66.3k | $35–$49 | Full day | 2.5h | very high |
 Colombia | $39.8k | $66.5k | $32–$41 | 3.5h | Full day | low |
 Portugal | $46.5k | $70.7k | $40–$45 | Full day | 3.5h | very high |
 Serbia | $62.4k | $72.0k | $35–$55 | Full day | 2.5h | high |
 Spain | $61.3k | $73.6k | $36–$50 | Full day | 2.5h | moderate |
 Czechia | $64.3k | $82.5k | $34–$46 | Full day | 2.5h | high |
How pay varies by stack
Relative to a full-stack developer. AI/ML and DevOps engineers earn the biggest premium; frontend sits below. Pick a stack to see its rates in every country.
Rates questions
Which country has the cheapest software developers?+
On median salary alone, South Asia and parts of Africa are lowest — senior developers in India, Pakistan and Nigeria earn well under $20,000 a year. Cost isn't the only factor: timezone overlap with your team, English proficiency and the depth of senior talent matter as much. Eastern Europe and Latin America cost more but overlap far better with UK and US working hours.
What's the best country to hire remote developers from for a UK company?+
For overlap with UK hours, Portugal, Spain, Morocco and most of Eastern Europe share most or all of a London working day, with senior salaries well below UK levels. India and Pakistan offer lower cost with about three to four hours of overlap.
What's the best country to hire remote developers from for a US company?+
Latin America is the natural fit for US teams: Colombia and Mexico overlap almost a full New York day, and Brazil, Argentina and Chile overlap most of it. Asia has little or no overlap with US working hours.
Are contractor rates the same as what a platform charges?+
No. Contractor rates here are what developers are typically paid per hour. Platforms add vetting, contracts, payroll and a margin on top — which is why Toptal-style networks charge $60–150+ an hour. OctogleHire publishes one client rate: about $30/hr for a senior engineer, all-in.
How the index is built
- Salaries are annual medians for software engineers at three levels: junior (0–2 years), mid (3–5) and senior (6+), from Levels.fyi, PayScale, Glassdoor, national surveys and salary guides — sources are listed on each country page.
- Contractor rates are what remote developers serving UK and US clients are typically paid per hour, from marketplace benchmarks (Lemon.io, Index.dev, Arc) and rate reports.
- Local currencies are converted to USD at the 2026-10-14 rate. Overlap is the shared hours between a 09:00–17:30 local day and London or New York in winter.
- Sources differ in method (total compensation vs base pay), so compare countries as ranges, not exact rankings. We refresh the index every quarter.
Skip the sourcing and vetting.
Octogle senior engineers cost about $30/hr all-in — vetted, contracted and on payroll — with a shortlist in 48 hours.
Rates by stack