Salaries · By role · Updated October 2026
Software developer salary by country
Published pay for software developers runs from $3.40 to $53.80 an hour across 10 countries abroad, against $50.58–$82.68 in the US. Here's every country side by side, then what an agency charges.
Per hour and per month
| Country | Per hour | Per month, full-time | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | $3.40–$6.68 | $589–$1,158 | Indeed Mexico, 'Desarrollador/a de software' salary page (updated Oct 19, 2026); Computrabajo Mexico, 'Desarrollador/a de software' salary page (2026 page, last 12 months); Data México (Secretaría de Economía), software developers and analysts occupation profile (2026 Q1). Checked Oct 2026. |
| Philippines | $3.43–$6.81 | $595–$1,181 | Indeed Philippines, 'Software Engineer' salary page (updated Oct 19, 2026); Indeed Philippines, 'Full Stack Developer' salary page (updated Oct 19, 2026); JobStreet Philippines, 'Software Engineer' salary page (October 2026); JobStreet Philippines, 'Full Stack Developer' salary page (October 2026); PayScale, 'Software Engineer' salary in the Philippines (last updated Oct 06, 2026). Checked Oct 2026. |
| India | $3.61–$10.62 | $625–$1,841 | Indeed India, 'Software Engineer' salary page (updated 19 October 2026); PayScale India, 'Software Developer' salary page (updated Oct 10 2026); Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025, salary by developer type (India) (2025 survey). Checked Oct 2026. |
| Colombia | $5.54–$16.26 | $960–$2,818 | Indeed Colombia, 'Desarrollador/a de software' salary page (updated Oct 15, 2026); Computrabajo Colombia, 'Desarrollador de software' salary page (last 12 months (seen Oct 2026)); Glassdoor, 'Software Developer' salaries in Bogotá (updated Mar 9, 2026). Checked Oct 2026. |
| Brazil | $6.12–$10.14 | $1,061–$1,758 | Indeed Brasil, 'Desenvolvedor de software' salary page (updated 16 Oct 2026); Glassdoor Brasil, 'Desenvolvedor De Software Pleno' salary page (not dated in the snippet). Checked Oct 2026. |
| Romania | $6.41–$23.44 | $1,111–$4,064 | Paylab Romania, 'Software Engineer' salary (live data, checked Oct 2026); Paylab Romania, 'Programmer' salary (live data, checked Oct 2026); Djinni, salary statistics, 'Fullstack', Romania (live data, checked Oct 25 2026). Checked Oct 2026. |
| Argentina | $9.44–$12.08 | $1,637–$2,094 | Sysarmy / Openqube, Encuesta de sueldos 2026.1 (survey Dec 2025 to Feb 2026, published Mar 2026). Checked Oct 2026. |
| South Africa | $10.13–$11.83 | $1,756–$2,050 | Indeed South Africa, 'Software Engineer' salary page (updated 17 Oct 2026); PayScale South Africa, 'Software Developer' salary page (updated Oct 06 2026). Checked Oct 2026. |
| Ukraine | $10.24–$16.15 | $1,776–$2,800 | DOU, 'Salaries of Ukrainian developers, summer 2026' (June 2026 survey (published Jul 2026)); Djinni, salary statistics, 'Fullstack', 3–5 years, Ukraine (live data, checked Oct 25 2026 (job and hire figures: last 30 days)); Work.ua, 'Full stack developer' salary statistics (October 2026). Checked Oct 2026. |
| Poland | $17.94–$53.80 | $3,110–$9,326 | Just Join IT, 'IT Salary Report in Poland 2026', Java category (2025 job ads ('IT Salary Report in Poland 2026')); Statistics Poland (GUS), 'Structure of wages and salaries by occupation, October 2024', table 13 (October 2024 (published 10 Feb 2026)); Pensjometr.pl (Paylab), 'Software Engineer' salary in Poland (live data, checked Oct 2026). Checked Oct 2026. |
| United States | $50.58–$82.68 | $8,767–$14,331 | O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor), national wages for SOC 15-1252, BLS OEWS May 2025 (May 2025 (BLS 2025 wage data)); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, news release Table 1 (May 2025). Checked Oct 2026. |
| United Kingdom | $41.02 | $6,666 | Office for National Statistics, Employee earnings in the UK: 2026 (ASHE), Figure 5 (April 2026, provisional (released 22 Oct 2026)). Checked Oct 2026. |
| Australia | $22.00–$46.81 | $3,622–$7,707 | Jobs and Skills Australia, occupation profile 'Software and Applications Programmers' (ANZSCO 2613) (May 2025); PayScale Australia, 'Software Developer' salary page (updated Sep 29, 2026). Checked Oct 2026. |
What an agency charges for this role
Published by Outsourcing Insider, a VA MASTERS company. The example below is VA MASTERS' own published rate card, shown because it's public; other agencies' prices vary. About us
| Agency | Per hour | Per month, 160 hours | What's included |
|---|---|---|---|
| VA MASTERS Parent company | $12.00–$25.00 | $1,920–$4,000 | Recruitment, contract and payments, time tracking, an account manager and replacement at no extra cost. No setup fee. Source: VA MASTERS pricing page, checked Oct 2026. |
Hiring a software developer
- Software developer job description
- Software developer interview questions and a paid test task
- Onboarding checklist for the first 90 days
FAQ
How much does a software developer cost per hour?
Published pay for software developers runs from $3.40 to $53.80 an hour across the 10 countries abroad we cover, and $50.58–$82.68 an hour in the US (middle 50% of wages, BLS). That's what the person is paid; an agency's rate also covers recruiting, payroll and replacement.
What does a software developer earn per month in the Philippines?
$595–$1,181 a month for full-time work, or $3.43–$6.81 an hour, across 5 published figures. Sources: Indeed Philippines, 'Software Engineer' salary page (updated Oct 19, 2026); Indeed Philippines, 'Full Stack Developer' salary page (updated Oct 19, 2026); JobStreet Philippines, 'Software Engineer' salary page (October 2026); JobStreet Philippines, 'Full Stack Developer' salary page (October 2026); PayScale, 'Software Engineer' salary in the Philippines (last updated Oct 06, 2026). Checked Oct 2026.
How much does it cost to employ a software developer in the US?
Wages for software developers run $50.58–$82.68 an hour for the middle 50% of workers. On top of wages, benefits and payroll taxes add to the cost: the US cost page breaks them down line by line, from the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation survey.
What does an agency charge for a software developer?
Agencies set their own prices, and many don't publish them. As one published example, VA MASTERS (the parent company of this site's publisher) lists $12.00–$25.00 an hour for its Tech / Development category, all-inclusive. Ask any agency what its rate covers: recruiting, replacement, payroll and fees.