Original data · Updated April 12, 2026
Offshore Salary Index 2026
What offshore employees actually cost by role and country in 2026 — 37 roles, 8 countries, benchmarked against US BLS median wages.
By Syed Ali, Founder, Remoteria · Last updated April 12, 2026
Offshore employees cost 36-86% less than US hires in 2026. Across 37 roles and 8 countries, the average saving versus the US BLS median wage is 66%. Pakistan is the lowest-cost market — mid-level roles average $18,416/year — while Poland is the highest at $46,022, still about 48% below comparable US pay.
Free to cite. This dataset is free to reference and republish with attribution to Remoteria and a link to this page (CC BY 4.0). Prefer to run your own numbers? Use the offshore savings calculator.
Index at a glance
- Roles tracked
- 37
- Countries
- 8
- Salary bands
- 296
- Avg savings vs US
- 66%
- Lowest-cost market
- Pakistan
- Highest-cost market
- Poland
Lowest-cost country
🇵🇰 Pakistan
Mid-level roles average $18,416/year across 37 roles — about 79% below the US median.
Pakistan salary breakdown →Highest-cost country
🇵🇱 Poland
Mid-level roles average $46,022/year — still about 48% below comparable US pay, with EU-grade seniority.
Poland salary breakdown →Key findings
Standalone stats, each computed from the underlying bands. Free to quote with a link back.
- 1.Across 37 roles and 8 countries, hiring offshore through Remoteria costs an average of 66% less than the same role at its US BLS median wage in 2026.
- 2.Pakistan is the lowest-cost market in the index: a mid-level hire averages $18,416 per year across 37 roles — about 79% below the US median.
- 3.Poland is the highest-cost market: a mid-level hire averages $46,022 per year, yet still runs about 48% below the comparable US wage.
- 4.Savings across the index span 36% (a Web Developer in Poland, the narrowest gap) to 86% (a Virtual Assistant in Pakistan, the widest).
- 5.The single largest saving in the index is a Virtual Assistant in Pakistan, at 86% below the US BLS median.
- 6.A senior offshore full-stack developer in Poland costs about $90,000 per year versus a $159,500 US senior median — a 44% saving.
- 7.The same senior full-stack developer ranges from $36,000 per year in Pakistan to $90,000 in Poland — a 2.5x spread driven entirely by country.
- 8.A mid-level virtual assistant in the Philippines costs about $9,400 per year — roughly 85% below the $62,000 US median.
- 9.A mid-level machine learning engineer in India costs about $37,800 per year versus a $135,000 US median — 72% less.
- 10.The index covers 296 role-country salary bands — 2,664 individual figures — across junior, mid, and senior tiers for 37 roles in 8 countries.
Offshore cost by country (cheapest to most expensive)
Average mid-level annual salary and savings vs the US BLS median, across all 37 roles.
| Country | Roles | Avg mid salary (annual) | Avg savings vs US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 37 | $18,416 | 79% |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | 37 | $19,935 | 78% |
| 🇮🇳 India | 37 | $21,476 | 76% |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 37 | $30,681 | 65% |
| 🇦🇷 Argentina | 37 | $33,757 | 62% |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | 37 | $35,276 | 60% |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | 37 | $36,816 | 59% |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 37 | $46,022 | 48% |
Savings vs US median, by role
US figures are BLS OES national medians (mid-level). Offshore figures are annual mid-level salary; the lowest-cost country is shown against Poland, the highest.
| Role | US median (BLS) | Lowest offshore | Highest offshore | Max savings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machine Learning Engineer | $135,000 | $32,400 (Pakistan) | $81,000 (Poland) | 76% |
| Data Engineer | $125,000 | $28,800 (Pakistan) | $72,000 (Poland) | 77% |
| Cloud Engineer | $125,000 | $28,800 (Pakistan) | $72,000 (Poland) | 77% |
| AI Agent Developer | $120,000 | $28,800 (Pakistan) | $72,000 (Poland) | 76% |
| DevOps Engineer | $120,000 | $27,400 (Pakistan) | $68,400 (Poland) | 77% |
| Mobile Developer | $115,000 | $25,200 (Pakistan) | $63,000 (Poland) | 78% |
| Full Stack Developer | $110,000 | $25,200 (Pakistan) | $63,000 (Poland) | 77% |
| Backend Developer | $110,000 | $23,800 (Pakistan) | $59,400 (Poland) | 78% |
| React Developer | $105,000 | $23,800 (Pakistan) | $59,400 (Poland) | 77% |
| Node.js Developer | $105,000 | $23,800 (Pakistan) | $59,400 (Poland) | 77% |
| Project Manager | $98,000 | $18,000 (Pakistan) | $45,000 (Poland) | 82% |
| AI Automation Specialist | $95,000 | $21,600 (Pakistan) | $54,000 (Poland) | 77% |
| Frontend Developer | $95,000 | $21,600 (Pakistan) | $54,000 (Poland) | 77% |
| Product Designer | $95,000 | $21,600 (Pakistan) | $54,000 (Poland) | 77% |
| Growth Marketer | $92,000 | $20,200 (Pakistan) | $50,400 (Poland) | 78% |
| UI/UX Designer | $90,000 | $18,000 (Pakistan) | $45,000 (Poland) | 80% |
| Digital Marketing Manager | $90,000 | $18,700 (Pakistan) | $46,800 (Poland) | 79% |
| Web Developer | $85,000 | $21,600 (Pakistan) | $54,000 (Poland) | 75% |
| Paid Ads Manager | $85,000 | $17,300 (Pakistan) | $43,200 (Poland) | 80% |
| Google Ads Manager | $82,000 | $15,800 (Pakistan) | $39,600 (Poland) | 81% |
| Accountant | $82,000 | $14,400 (Pakistan) | $36,000 (Poland) | 82% |
| AI Content Specialist | $80,000 | $17,300 (Pakistan) | $43,200 (Poland) | 78% |
| Data Analyst | $80,000 | $17,300 (Pakistan) | $43,200 (Poland) | 78% |
| SEO Specialist | $78,000 | $14,400 (Pakistan) | $36,000 (Poland) | 82% |
| Email Marketing Specialist | $75,000 | $14,400 (Pakistan) | $36,000 (Poland) | 81% |
| Content Writer | $73,000 | $10,800 (Pakistan) | $27,000 (Poland) | 85% |
| Copywriter | $73,000 | $13,000 (Pakistan) | $32,400 (Poland) | 82% |
| Executive Assistant | $72,000 | $11,500 (Pakistan) | $28,800 (Poland) | 84% |
| Social Media Manager | $70,000 | $10,800 (Pakistan) | $27,000 (Poland) | 85% |
| AI Customer Support Specialist | $70,000 | $14,400 (Pakistan) | $36,000 (Poland) | 79% |
| Video Editor | $68,000 | $13,000 (Pakistan) | $32,400 (Poland) | 81% |
| QA Tester | $68,000 | $13,700 (Pakistan) | $34,200 (Poland) | 80% |
| Virtual Assistant | $62,000 | $8,600 (Pakistan) | $21,600 (Poland) | 86% |
| Sales Development Rep | $62,000 | $13,000 (Pakistan) | $32,400 (Poland) | 79% |
| Graphic Designer | $60,000 | $14,400 (Pakistan) | $36,000 (Poland) | 76% |
| Bookkeeper | $47,000 | $10,100 (Pakistan) | $25,200 (Poland) | 79% |
| Customer Support Rep | $39,000 | $7,900 (Pakistan) | $19,800 (Poland) | 80% |
Developer salaries by country (annual, mid-level)
Mid-level annual salary for the highest-demand engineering roles. Every cell links to the full cost breakdown.
| Role | 🇵🇰 Pakistan | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 🇮🇳 India | 🇿🇦 South Africa | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 🇵🇱 Poland |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Stack Developer | $25,200 | $27,300 | $29,400 | $42,000 | $46,200 | $48,300 | $50,400 | $63,000 |
| Backend Developer | $23,800 | $25,700 | $27,700 | $39,600 | $43,600 | $45,500 | $47,500 | $59,400 |
| Frontend Developer | $21,600 | $23,400 | $25,200 | $36,000 | $39,600 | $41,400 | $43,200 | $54,000 |
| React Developer | $23,800 | $25,700 | $27,700 | $39,600 | $43,600 | $45,500 | $47,500 | $59,400 |
| Mobile Developer | $25,200 | $27,300 | $29,400 | $42,000 | $46,200 | $48,300 | $50,400 | $63,000 |
| DevOps Engineer | $27,400 | $29,600 | $31,900 | $45,600 | $50,200 | $52,400 | $54,700 | $68,400 |
| Data Engineer | $28,800 | $31,200 | $33,600 | $48,000 | $52,800 | $55,200 | $57,600 | $72,000 |
| Machine Learning Engineer | $32,400 | $35,100 | $37,800 | $54,000 | $59,400 | $62,100 | $64,800 | $81,000 |
“Offshore hiring isn't about finding the cheapest wage — it's about the best wage-to-skill ratio. The same senior full-stack developer can cost more than double in Poland than in Pakistan, so the right country depends on whether you're optimizing for cost, timezone, or EU-grade compliance. We publish the full band data so teams decide with real numbers, not guesses.”
Full cost breakdown by country
Frequently asked questions
How much cheaper is it to hire offshore than in the US in 2026?
On average, 66% cheaper. Across 37 roles and 8 countries, offshore salaries run 36% to 86% below the US BLS median wage for the same role and experience tier. Support roles show the largest gap; senior European engineering roles the smallest.
Which country has the lowest offshore salaries?
Pakistan. A mid-level hire averages $18,416 per year across 37 roles — roughly 79% below the US median. The Philippines and India are the next-lowest markets in the index.
Which country has the highest offshore salaries?
Poland. A mid-level hire averages $46,022 per year — about 48% below the comparable US wage. The premium buys EU-grade compliance, very high English proficiency, and senior engineering depth.
Is it cheaper to hire a virtual assistant in the Philippines or Pakistan?
Both are within a few hundred dollars a year. A mid-level virtual assistant costs about $9,400 per year in the Philippines and $8,600 in Pakistan, so Pakistan is marginally cheaper. The Philippines has the deeper VA talent pool and stronger US-shift overlap.
How much does a senior offshore developer cost?
A senior full-stack developer ranges from about $36,000 per year in Pakistan and $42,000 in India to $90,000 in Poland. The equivalent US senior median is roughly $159,500, so offshore saves 44-77% depending on country.
Related
Written by Syed Ali
Founder, Remoteria
Syed Ali founded Remoteria after a decade building distributed teams across 4 continents. He helps US businesses source, vet, onboard, and scale pre-vetted offshore talent in engineering, design, marketing, and operations.
- • 10+ years building distributed remote teams
- • Direct hiring experience across US, UK, EU, and APAC markets
- • Specialist in offshore vetting and cross-timezone team integration
Last updated: April 12, 2026