Vietnam
The Philippines
India
A senior freelance developer in Vietnam charges $28 to $60 an hour, according to Arc.dev’s 2026 rate guide. The same guide puts a senior US freelancer at $95 to $150. Both figures are in US dollars, and so is almost every offshore developer rate a US company will be quoted.
Comparing those rates is harder than it looks. A freelance rate, an agency rate, a full-time monthly fee and a local salary all measure different things, even when they share a dollar sign. The sections below put each kind of rate side by side, convert local pay at October 2026 exchange rates, and show what moves when a currency does.
- Senior freelance offshore developers charge $22 to $60 an hour in the Philippines, India and Vietnam, against $95 to $150 in the US.
- Agencies charge $31 to $41 an hour for a senior developer in Asia, $60 to $75 in Latin America and $64 to $76 in Europe.
- Median software engineer pay is about $13,100 a year in Vietnam, $15,400 in the Philippines and $31,600 in India.
- A full-time offshore developer through Hire Offshore costs $2,499 to $5,999 a month, about $14 to $35 an hour, all-in.
- The Indian rupee and the Philippine peso both lost more than 7% against the dollar in the year to October 2026.
Offshore developer rates in US dollars, by route
The rate you pay depends first on how the offshore developer is engaged, and only then on the country. Freelancers bill by the hour for their own time. Agencies bill by the hour for a developer they employ, plus their overhead and margin. A hiring partner such as Hire Offshore charges a fixed monthly fee for a full-time offshore developer who works only on your product.
| Route | Hourly, US dollars | Monthly, at 173 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Hire Offshore, full-time offshore developer | $14 to $35 | $2,499 to $5,999 |
| Agency, Asia, senior | $31 to $41 | $5,373 to $7,107 |
| Agency, Latin America, senior | $60 to $75 | $10,400 to $13,000 |
| Agency, Europe, senior | $64 to $76 | $11,093 to $13,173 |
| US freelance, senior | $95 to $150 | $16,467 to $26,000 |
The monthly column multiplies each hourly rate by 173.3, which is 2,080 working hours a year divided by 12. An agency or freelancer bills only the hours worked, so a month with holidays or a slow week costs less. A full-time monthly fee stays the same.
Senior freelance developer rates by country
Arc.dev’s freelance developer rate guide, published on 26 May 2026, lists senior freelance rates by country and city. Arc says the figures draw on a survey of 5,302 freelancers, plus its own marketplace and recruiter data.
| Location | Senior freelance rate, per hour | Monthly, at 173 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Philippines | $22 to $50 | $3,813 to $8,667 |
| India | $25 to $60 | $4,333 to $10,400 |
| Vietnam | $28 to $60 | $4,853 to $10,400 |
| Ukraine | $35 to $70 | $6,067 to $12,133 |
| Buenos Aires | $38 to $75 | $6,587 to $13,000 |
| Krakow | $40 to $80 | $6,933 to $13,867 |
| United States | $95 to $150 | $16,467 to $26,000 |
The ranges overlap more than the country averages suggest. A senior freelancer at the top of the Vietnam range charges more than one at the bottom of the Ukraine range. Within each country, rates follow the stack and the person more than the passport.
A freelance rate also excludes the costs a freelancer carries alone: their own equipment, their own taxes, and the weeks between contracts. Our freelance vs full-time comparison adds the platform fees and prices a full month both ways.
Agency rates by region and seniority
Accelerance’s 2026 rate trends, published on 24 November 2025, summarize hourly software development rates from the outsourcing firms it surveys. These are the rates a vendor bills for its own developers.
Accelerance reports that rates fell over the year in all three regions: almost 8% in Asia, 7.1% in Latin America and 4.4% in Europe. The gap between junior and senior rates is widest in Europe and Latin America, where a senior developer bills about twice a junior one. In Asia the step is smaller.
What offshore developers earn in local pay
Salaries tell you what the offshore developer takes home before any agency or partner adds its costs. Levels.fyi publishes median total pay for software engineers by country, from pay its users submit.
| Country | Median pay, local currency | In US dollars a year |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | VND 339,543,750 | about $13,100 |
| Philippines | PHP 969,264 | about $15,400 |
| India | INR 3,059,656 | about $31,600 |
| Brazil | BRL 177,600 | about $35,700 |
| Argentina | ARS 58,839,599 | about $38,900 |
| Mexico | MXN 866,374 | about $47,100 |
| Ukraine | UAH 2,312,043 | about $51,400 |
| Poland | PLN 270,136 | about $69,400 |
Levels.fyi samples lean toward engineers at larger and international companies, so its medians sit above what a typical local job ad offers. Local salary surveys give a second view:
- Vietnam. The ITviec IT Salary and Recruitment Market Report 2025 to 2026 puts the median back-end developer salary at VND 37.8 million a month, about $1,470. Back-end developers with more than eight years’ experience report VND 54.9 million, about $2,140.
- Philippines. JobStreet lists an average software developer salary of PHP 33,000 to PHP 43,000 a month, about $526 to $685. The figure comes from salary ranges in employers’ job ads.
- India. AmbitionBox reports an average software engineer salary of INR 9.7 lakh a year from about 740,000 salaries, about $10,000.
The three sources measure different things: an ad average, a survey median and self-reported pay at bigger employers. For budgeting, the useful point is the order of magnitude. Local developer pay in all three countries is a fraction of the hourly rates above, and the rest of each rate is employment costs, overhead and margin.
Why a salary and a rate are different numbers
An employer pays more than the salary in every one of these countries. These are the main statutory costs on top of pay in the three countries Hire Offshore hires in.
Sources: PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries (Vietnam, India), Presidential Decree 851 (Philippines).
Vietnam. Employers pay 17.5% into social insurance, 3% into health insurance and 1% into unemployment insurance, 21.5% in all, per PwC’s Vietnam tax summary. Social and health insurance stop at 20 times the reference level, VND 46.8 million a month, so the share falls for senior salaries above that cap.
Philippines. Employers pay 10% into the Social Security System on a monthly salary credit of up to PHP 35,000, per Forvis Mazars. PhilHealth is 5% of basic salary between a PHP 10,000 floor and a PHP 100,000 ceiling, per PhilHealth Advisory 2025-0002, shared between employer and employee. On top of that comes a 13th-month payment equal to one-twelfth of annual basic pay, required by Presidential Decree 851.
India. Employers contribute 12% of wages to the Employees’ Provident Fund, per PwC’s India tax summary. The wage ceiling for mandatory cover rose to INR 25,000 a month from 17 September 2026, per the EPFO.
Add equipment, office or internet allowances, leave cover, recruiting and the time a developer sits between projects, and an agency’s rate ends up at several times the salary. Our Vietnam vs Philippines vs India comparison sets out each country’s employer rules in more detail.
Exchange rates: who carries the currency risk
Most offshore developer contracts with US companies are priced in US dollars. That fixes the buyer’s cost and leaves the exchange rate with the developer, whose rent and groceries are paid in local currency.
| Currency | Per US dollar, October 2026 | 12-month change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnamese dong | 25,680 | Stronger by 1.8% | Vietcombank |
| Philippine peso | 62.73 | Weaker by 7.6% | Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas |
| Indian rupee | 96.73 | Weaker by 8.9% | Federal Reserve H.10 |
| Polish zloty | 3.90 | Weaker by 6.5% | National Bank of Poland |
| Ukrainian hryvnia | 44.98 | Weaker by 7.7% | National Bank of Ukraine |
| Mexican peso | 18.40 | Flat | Federal Reserve H.10 |
| Brazilian real | 4.98 | Stronger by 7.2% | Federal Reserve H.10 |
The Philippine peso figure is the October 2026 month-to-date average. The dong is Vietcombank’s transfer rate on 15 October, and the H.10 rates are for 9 October.
A weaker local currency works as a quiet raise for a developer paid in dollars. The same $3,000 bought about 7.6% more pesos in October 2026 than a year before. A stronger one works as a pay cut, which is why developers in Brazil and Vietnam have more reason to ask for a higher dollar rate this year.
Converting hourly and monthly rates
Rates arrive in different units, so convert everything to one before comparing:
- Hourly to monthly. Multiply by 173.3, the average number of working hours in a month. A $30 hourly rate is about $5,200 a month.
- Monthly to hourly. Divide by 173.3. A $3,500 monthly fee is about $20 an hour.
- Monthly to yearly. Multiply by 12, and check whether the quote includes a 13th-month payment, leave, or equipment.
Two adjustments keep the comparison fair. Hourly quotes leave out holidays and leave, so a full-time offshore developer on a monthly fee often works fewer billable hours than 173. And an agency’s hourly rate usually includes the vendor’s project management, while a hiring partner leaves day-to-day management to you.
What a Hire Offshore rate includes
A full-time offshore developer through Hire Offshore costs $2,499 to $5,999 a month, set by stack and seniority. The fee is the same in Vietnam, the Philippines and India. It covers salary, payroll, statutory contributions, equipment and our fee. Spread over 173 hours, that is about $14 to $35 an hour.
| Team size | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 1 offshore developer | $2,499 to $5,999 | $29,988 to $71,988 |
| 3 offshore developers | $7,497 to $17,997 | $89,964 to $215,964 |
| 5 offshore developers | $12,495 to $29,995 | $149,940 to $359,940 |
Our pricing page sets the fee against published market rates. For a full cost comparison with a US hire, including benefits and payroll tax, see offshore vs onshore developers. For Latin America and Eastern Europe as alternatives, see our nearshore vs offshore cost comparison.
Hire offshore developers with Hire Offshore
We shortlist 6 to 8 vetted offshore developers in Vietnam, the Philippines or India within 24 hours and complete the hire in 2 weeks. The monthly fee of $2,499 to $5,999 covers salary, payroll, equipment and employment, with no upfront cost and a 90-day replacement guarantee. See how it works, check pricing or send us the role.
FAQ
What are offshore developer rates in US dollars?
Senior freelance offshore developers charge $22 to $60 an hour in the Philippines, India and Vietnam, according to Arc.dev’s 2026 guide. Agencies bill $31 to $41 an hour for a senior developer in Asia. A full-time offshore developer through Hire Offshore costs $2,499 to $5,999 a month, about $14 to $35 an hour, all-in.
How much does an offshore developer cost per month?
At 173 working hours a month, a senior freelancer in Vietnam at $28 to $60 an hour costs about $4,850 to $10,400. An agency in Asia at $31 to $41 an hour costs about $5,400 to $7,100. A full-time offshore developer through Hire Offshore costs $2,499 to $5,999 a month.
Why are offshore developer rates quoted in US dollars?
A dollar price fixes the buyer’s cost and makes rates comparable across countries. The currency risk then sits with the developer: when the local currency weakens, a dollar rate buys more at home, and when it strengthens, it buys less.
How much do software developers earn in Vietnam, the Philippines and India?
Levels.fyi medians are about $13,100 a year in Vietnam, $15,400 in the Philippines and $31,600 in India, converted at October 2026 rates. Local surveys come in lower: ITviec’s back-end median in Vietnam is about $1,470 a month, and JobStreet’s Philippine average is about $526 to $685 a month.
Do offshore developer rates include taxes and benefits?
A freelance rate does not: the freelancer pays their own taxes and equipment. An agency rate covers the developer’s employment costs plus the vendor’s margin. The Hire Offshore monthly fee includes salary, statutory contributions, payroll and equipment.