November 2, 2026
What it costs to hire an Egyptian developer who works your hours
The short answer: budget $3,000 to $4,500 a month for a mid-level Egyptian developer working full time on your hours, and $4,500 to $6,500 for a senior. That is roughly 50% less than the equivalent hire in the US.
How much does a remote Egyptian developer cost?
These are the bands we use when we brief a US or European company. They cover a full-time developer, 40 hours a week, working your business hours with your team.
| Level | Per month (USD) | Per year (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-level, 3 to 5 years | $3,000 to $4,500 | $36,000 to $54,000 |
| Senior, 6 years and up | $4,500 to $6,500 | $54,000 to $78,000 |
They apply to the roles we fill most: backend engineers on Node.js and Python, and frontend engineers on React. Where a candidate lands inside the band depends on the factors further down this page.
How does that compare with hiring in the US?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual wage for software developers at $135,980 (May 2025). Against that figure:
- A mid-level hire at $36,000 to $54,000 a year costs 60 to 74% less.
- A senior hire at $54,000 to $78,000 a year costs 43 to 60% less.
The BLS median covers every seniority level, so compare like with like: an Egyptian senior against a US senior, a mid-level against a mid-level. Matched that way, our bands come out at roughly 50% less than the equivalent hire in the US.
Why do some sources quote $1,000 to $2,000 a month?
Because there are two different markets for the same skills.
The first is the local one: salaries paid by Egyptian employers, on Egyptian hours, to Egyptian clients. Many published figures, and many AI answers, are drawn from it.
The second is the international remote market: developers who work for US and European companies, in English, on their clients’ hours. It pays more. Plane, an international payroll platform, reports a median of $44,958 a year for remote software developers in Egypt, about $3,750 a month.
Hiring at a local-market number for international work creates three problems:
- You only reach part of the pool. The developers with the strongest English and international experience already earn international rates.
- You are easy to outbid. A developer who is underpaid against their own market stays open to other offers.
- The number works against the candidate. An offer far below market makes a hiring manager doubt the person, not celebrate the price.
What moves a candidate up or down the band?
- Stack depth. TypeScript, cloud deployment (AWS, Docker, CI/CD) and production database work sit higher than framework-only experience.
- Ownership. Someone who can own a service end to end costs more than someone who needs tasks broken down.
- Client-facing English. Roles that put the developer in front of customers or stakeholders sit higher.
- Your hours. US East Coast hours run into the Cairo evening. US West Coast hours run past midnight. The further from a Cairo working day, the more the role should pay.
What else goes into the total cost?
Salary is most of it, but not all of it.
- How you engage the person. A direct contractor agreement costs little to run. An employer of record adds a monthly fee. We cover the choice in how to hire a remote developer in Egypt.
- Equipment and connectivity. Agree up front who pays for hardware and backup internet.
- Recruiting. Your own time, a recruiter, or a placement fee. Ours is 20% of first-year total compensation, paid once and only when you hire. On a $45,000 hire that is $9,000.
Does it hold over time?
Our founder’s first two placements joined a US company at roughly 65% below the US salary benchmark. Both stayed for six years and left only when the company eliminated the roles. Neither ever needed replacing.
Getting a number for your role
Every role is different, so the band is a starting point. Send us the job description below and we will tell you where your role sits before you meet anyone.