LATAM vs US hiring cost calculator
Pick a role and seniority to see what a hire costs in the United States, salary plus benefits and taxes, against the same hire in Latin America.
1 mid-level Software Engineer, per year
$127,416 saved
73% less than hiring in the US
- US total cost per hire
- $14,618/mo
- LATAM rate per hire
- $4,000/mo
US: BLS OEWS May 2025 (Software Developers), loaded with BLS ECEC June 2026 benefits and taxes. LATAM: Nexus rate estimate for remote work with a US company. How we calculate this
Get pre-vetted software engineer candidates at this rate →Local-market pay for this level
Median monthly pay reported by software professionals in Latin America, mostly working for local employers (Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025). Remote roles with US companies pay more, which is why the LATAM rate above is higher.
- Latin America (all)$1,667/mo
- Brazil$1,365/mo
- Mexico$2,193/mo
How much do you save hiring in Latin America?
The short answer: a mid-level hire in Latin America costs about 69% less than the same hire in the US once benefits and taxes are counted, before any agency fee. For a software engineer, that's roughly $127,000 a year per hire.
Where the numbers come from
US salaries and employer costs come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Latin America figure is the Nexus rate for remote work with a US company, marked as an estimate.
How we calculate this
Version 2026.1, built 2026-09-28. Every number is either a published statistic or a labelled Nexus estimate; nothing is interpolated.
US salary
Annual wages from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Each role is matched to a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code using O*NET 31.0. We use the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles as junior, mid-level and senior. OEWS measures base wages and excludes bonuses and equity, so tech salaries at venture-backed companies can run higher.
US total employer cost
Salary multiplied by 1.29 (+29%): total compensation divided by wages plus paid leave, private industry, from the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026. Paid leave is left out of the load because an annual salary already pays for it. Counting it too gives 1.43, the upper bound.
Latin America rate
The rate Nexus sees for full-time remote work with a US company, by seniority. It is an estimate, labelled as such, until our own survey of LATAM professionals working for US companies is published. No public source measures this today.
Local-market benchmark
For developer and some technical roles we also show what professionals in Latin America report earning, mostly from local employers: the median of the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025 (1,223 LATAM respondents with valid pay), by years of professional experience: junior under 3, mid-level 3 to 6, senior 7 or more. We only publish a median when at least 30 people answered for that cell.
What this does not include
- Recruiting, agency or platform fees (add yours in the calculator).
- Equipment, software seats and office costs, which apply to both.
- Differences between US states or cities: US figures are national.
See which job category each US salary comes from
US salaries are published by official job category, not by job title. This table shows the category we used for each role. Where no category fits well, we mark the match as approximate.
| Role | SOC occupation | Match | US median salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | 15-1252 Software Developers | Good | $11,332/mo |
| Full-Stack Developer | 15-1252 Software Developers | Moderate | $11,332/mo |
| React Developer | 15-1254 Web Developers | Good | $7,721/mo |
| Python Developer | 15-1252 Software Developers | Good | $11,332/mo |
| Node.js Developer | 15-1252 Software Developers | Good | $11,332/mo |
| Frontend Developer | 15-1254 Web Developers | Good | $7,721/mo |
| Backend Developer | 15-1252 Software Developers | Good | $11,332/mo |
| DevOps Engineer | 15-1252 Software Developers | Approximate | $11,332/mo |
| Mobile Developer | 15-1252 Software Developers | Good | $11,332/mo |
| ML Engineer | 15-2051 Data Scientists | Approximate | $10,019/mo |
| Data Engineer | 15-1243 Database Architects | Approximate | $11,625/mo |
| QA Engineer | 15-1253 Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | Good | $8,692/mo |
| Cloud Architect | 15-1241 Computer Network Architects | Approximate | $11,171/mo |
| UI/UX Designer | 15-1255 Web and Digital Interface Designers | Good | $8,667/mo |
| Product Designer | 15-1255 Web and Digital Interface Designers | Moderate | $8,667/mo |
| Graphic Designer | 27-1024 Graphic Designers | Good | $5,247/mo |
| Brand Designer | 27-1024 Graphic Designers | Moderate | $5,247/mo |
| Web Designer | 15-1255 Web and Digital Interface Designers | Good | $8,667/mo |
| Motion Designer | 27-1014 Special Effects Artists and Animators | Moderate | $8,502/mo |
| UX Researcher | 15-1255 Web and Digital Interface Designers | Moderate | $8,667/mo |
| Accountant | 13-2011 Accountants and Auditors | Good | $6,973/mo |
| Bookkeeper | 43-3031 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | Good | $4,222/mo |
| Financial Analyst | 13-2051 Financial and Investment Analysts | Good | $8,562/mo |
| Controller | 11-3031 Financial Managers | Moderate | $13,881/mo |
| Tax Specialist | 13-2011 Accountants and Auditors | Moderate | $6,973/mo |
| Virtual Assistant | 43-6014 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | Approximate | $3,962/mo |
| Executive Assistant | 43-6011 Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | Good | $6,382/mo |
| Project Manager | 13-1082 Project Management Specialists | Good | $8,527/mo |
| Operations Manager | 11-1021 General and Operations Managers | Good | $8,814/mo |
| Customer Success Manager | 13-1199 Business Operations Specialists, All Other | Approximate | $6,921/mo |
| Office Manager | 43-1011 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | Moderate | $5,792/mo |
| Scrum Master | 13-1082 Project Management Specialists | Moderate | $8,527/mo |
| HR Generalist | 13-1071 Human Resources Specialists | Good | $6,328/mo |
| Recruiter | 13-1071 Human Resources Specialists | Good | $6,328/mo |
| Digital Marketer | 13-1161 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | Good | $6,563/mo |
| Content Writer | 27-3043 Writers and Authors | Moderate | $6,409/mo |
| SEO Specialist | 13-1161 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | Good | $6,563/mo |
| Social Media Manager | 13-1161 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | Moderate | $6,563/mo |
| Email Marketer | 13-1161 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | Good | $6,563/mo |
| Growth Marketer | 13-1161 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | Approximate | $6,563/mo |
| Copywriter | 27-3043 Writers and Authors | Moderate | $6,409/mo |
| Sales Development Rep | 41-3091 Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | Moderate | $5,832/mo |
| Account Manager | 41-3091 Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | Approximate | $5,832/mo |
| Sales Representative | 41-3091 Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | Moderate | $5,832/mo |
| Customer Support | 43-4051 Customer Service Representatives | Good | $3,731/mo |
| Technical Support | 15-1232 Computer User Support Specialists | Good | $5,155/mo |
| Data Analyst | 15-2051 Data Scientists | Approximate | $10,019/mo |
| Sales Operations | 13-1111 Management Analysts | Approximate | $8,488/mo |
Download and cite the data
The full dataset (48 roles × 3 seniority levels: US salary, US total cost, LATAM rate, savings and the local-market benchmark) is free to use.
License: ODbL 1.0. Please credit Nexus and link to this page. Suggested citation:
Nexus (2026). LATAM vs US Hiring Cost Dataset, version 2026.1. https://www.nexus.lat/latam-vs-us-hiring-cost-calculator
Frequently asked questions
Does the LATAM rate include your fee?
No. The LATAM rate is what the professional is paid each month. Our fee is separate: a one-time placement fee if you hire them directly, or a monthly fee if we also run contracts, payroll and compliance.
Why is the LATAM rate higher than local salaries in Latin America?
Because remote work for a US company pays more than a local job. Surveys of Latin American professionals, who mostly work for local employers, show lower figures: a mid-level software developer reports a median of about $1,667 a month (Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025). The people who pass our vetting are hired for US companies, work US hours and are paid accordingly, which is still well below a US salary.
Who handles contracts and taxes?
It depends on how you hire. With a placement, you contract the professional directly and they handle their own local taxes; many companies review that setup with their own advisor. With our staffing model, we take care of contracts, payroll and compliance for you.
Will they really work my hours?
Yes. Most of Latin America is 0-3 hours from US Eastern time, so your hire joins your standups and replies during your working day instead of overnight.
Can I use this data?
Yes. Download the CSV and cite Nexus as the source. The file is published under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0) because it includes figures derived from the Stack Overflow survey; the BLS figures are public domain.
Want real candidates at these rates?
Tell us the role and we'll present pre-vetted candidates within 7–14 days.