Free Tool
Developer Rate Calculator
What should this engineer actually cost?
Four inputs, three numbers out. The same rate bands published across our cost guides, not a lead-capture gate.
Calculate a rate
Rates are agency rates and include code review, testing, and cover. A freelance rate for the same person would be lower and would include none of those.
Your inputs
Base band before seniority and region are applied.
The same seniority, priced by where the engineer sits.
Result
Hourly rate
$69 – $93
Agency rate, USD
Full-time month
$10,998 – $14,879
At roughly 160 billable hours
Three-person pod
$32,993 – $44,637
Per month, excluding QA and delivery ownership
Indicative only. These are the same bands published across our cost guides, not a quotation — a real number needs your actual scope.
Quick Answer
Updated August 22, 2026
How much does a developer cost per hour?
A senior engineer costs $32–$45 per hour in India, $45–$80 in Eastern Europe, $50–$90 in Latin America, and $110–$200 in the US or Western Europe — roughly a 4x spread for the same seniority, driven by cost of living rather than capability. Role moves it too: QA sits about 40% below a standard engineering seat and AI/ML about 35% above. Timezone overlap beyond four hours adds 10–25%, because it means working outside normal local hours. This calculator applies those factors to give an hourly, monthly, and three-person-pod figure.
Inputs
Role, seniority, region, overlap
Outputs
Hourly, monthly, pod
No email required
Results are immediate
Best for
- Budgeting before you approach any vendor
- Sanity-checking a quote you have already received
- Comparing regions on a like-for-like basis
Not best for
- A binding quote — that needs your actual scope
- In-house salary benchmarking, which is a different number
- Very specialised roles outside the list
FAQ
Questions about this tool
Where do these numbers come from?
They are the same bands we publish on our hiring and cost pages, which come from what we and comparable agencies actually charge in 2026. They are ranges rather than points because seniority within a band varies more than the band itself.
Why is a US engineer four times an Indian one?
Cost of living and salary levels, not capability. A senior engineer in Delhi earning ₹40 lakh a year is well paid locally; the same person in San Francisco would cost four times more for identical work.
Does the monthly figure assume full time?
Yes, at roughly 160 billable hours a month. Part-time engagements below about 20 hours a week cost proportionally more per hour, because context reloading eats a meaningful share of a short week.
Why does timezone overlap change the price?
Four hours of overlap fits inside normal Indian working hours. Beyond that the engineer is working early mornings or late evenings, and paying for that is more honest than pretending it is free and watching it erode.
Is a freelancer cheaper than this?
Per hour, yes — typically $12–$25 in India. That rate excludes code review, testing, cover when they are unavailable, and any recourse if the work is wrong. Whether that matters depends on how load-bearing the work is.
Related
Go from a number to a plan
The guides behind this tool, and the other free tools alongside it.