Remote Software Engineer Salary Expectations Around the World

Remote Job Hunting Working Remotely

Work from home salaries for developers and engineers vary by location and experience. Learn which work from salary jobs pay best and where to find them now!

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Work from home salaries for software engineers and developers are some of the highest in the remote work space. But where you choose to set up shop also factors into how much you may be able to earn.

So if you’re considering packing up and moving to another country, it pays to understand what work from home salary jobs in different parts of the world actually pay.

Luckily, our work from home & remote job salary guide for developers and engineers has everything you need to make an informed decision. We’ll share a rundown of average salaries worldwide and highlight some of the top companies with remote engineering hubs in other countries.

Before we get to those, it helps to know:

How Employers Calculate Work from Home Salaries

It’s totally okay to negotiate a salary you feel comfortable with. But you don’t want to price yourself out of the competition either. A fair average salary should be based on:

Industry. According to HubSpot, the best-paying remote jobs include[*]:

Marketing Manager $63,250
Forensic Computer Analyst $70,155
Attorney $81,439
IT Manager $82,054
User Experience Researcher $82,865
Business Analyst $83,142
District Sales Manager $90,000 (+ bonuses)
DevOps Manager $91,339
Customer Service Engineer $100,000
Software Developer $115,462

As you can see, a majority of the top-paying work-from-home jobs are in the tech space, so you should be at an advantage as a remote developer or engineer.

Experience and Education. It’s a no-brainer that candidates with less experience in beginner roles earn less than those in more senior positions requiring a higher level of expertise and certifications.

Cost of Living. The average cost of living (COL) in each country or city includes the price of housing, food, healthcare, taxes, and other necessities. You can look up various cost of living calculators to compare these worldwide. Remote employers will do their research and pay you a fair wage to thrive based on COL and national minimum wages/pay rates.

So whether you want to move and start over with a new job in another country or ask your current employer for a transfer elsewhere, you should know that your average salary may change as a result.

Remote Software Engineer Average Salary Worldwide Comparison

According to self-reported data from over 20,000 employees, remote software developers and engineers earn a global average of $70,877 per year[*]. However, locations and experience play significant roles in whether you’ll make more or less than this average.

Here’s what the data shows about work from home salaries in[*]:

NORTH AMERICA

The average salary for a remote developer living in North America is $82,757, the highest on today’s list. So let’s break this down by country:

Canada. Remote developers in Canada earn a bit less than their neighbors to the south. The average salary varies between $67,246 to $86,968 per year. To get more specific, here’s an average breakdown by position:

Front-end Developer: $82,344
Back-end Developer: $89,335
Data Scientist: $93,158
App Developer: $82,262
DevOps Engineer: $93,416

A few well-known companies with remote engineering hubs in Canada include Uber, VTS, Coursera, Tile, Asana, and Shopify.

Mexico. The average remote developer salary in Mexico is the lowest in North America, at $64,304 per year. There’s a chance you’ll earn more in other roles, like:

Front-end Developer: $63,930
Back-end Developer: $65,125
Data Scientist: $69,926
App Developer: $61,374
DevOps Engineer: $66,236

If you want to call Mexico home, these companies have strong remote teams there: Stripe, Amazon, Brightcove, Onelogin, HP, and Oracle.

The United States. Remote engineers scored an average of $96,999 per year working in the US. Average salaries for these positions include:

Front-end Developer: $95,163
Back-end Developer: $98,938
Data Scientist: $104,326
App Developer: $96,620
DevOps Engineer: $107,771

Developers in the US earn much more than those in other countries, but they also face stiff competition during their remote job search.

🚨 That’s why it pays to sign up for WWR notifications; you’ll be the first to know when remote jobs in your field hit the board!

LATIN AMERICA

Due to lower living costs, work from home salary jobs in Latin America average $30,000 to $60,000 per year, based on city and experience. Here’s what stats show about:

Argentina. Remote software engineers in Argentina earn a competitive average salary of $58,392 per year. Average work from home salaries differ by role, too:

Front-end Developer: $55,237
Back-end Developer: $55,968
Data Scientist: $58,185
App Developer: $55,174
DevOps Engineer: $59,796

Remote employers JP Morgan, Salesforce, and Eventbrite all have dev teams in Argentina.

Brazil. A remote software professional makes an average of $35,000 to $63,305 per year in Brazil. Salary averages also vary by position, such as:

Front-end Developer: $60,839
Back-end Developer: $63,363
Data Scientist: $66,329
App Developer: $62,096
DevOps Engineer: $66,677

Notable companies with remote software development teams in Brazil include IBM, Amazon, and ADP.

Colombia. The average annual salary for a software guru in Colombia is $59,393. If you want to move here, you may earn something close to these averages each year:

Front-end Developer: $57,948
Back-end Developer: $60,970
Data Scientist: $61,857
App Developer: $53,908
DevOps Engineer: $65,887

If Colombia’s calling your name, try to job search the remote Colombian teams at Adidas, Twilio, and Hopper.

ASIA

Depending on which Asian countries are included in salary reports, the average annual earnings for a remote developer living in Asia varies between $40,000 and $60,000. Here’s how some of them fare:

Singapore. Software engineers in Singapore, one of the most expensive places to live on the planet, earn an average of $71,408 per year. Other work from home salary jobs average:

Front-end Developer: $68,588
Back-end Developer: $72,064
Data Scientist: $74,222
App Developer: $70,122
DevOps Engineer: $79,600

Hong Kong is another super expensive city to live in, so consider that before you accept a salary offer here. Remote developers earn an average of $60,034 per year. More specific averages include:

Front-end Developer: $58,420
Back-end Developer: $59,496
Data Scientist: $62,427
App Developer: $57,856
DevOps Engineer: $62,363

Despite the higher cost of living, companies like Mercari, Jane Street, and IBM each have remote software teams based in HK.

India is a leading contender in the remote engineer market. Employees typically earn $48,918 per year, on average, which is pretty similar across the board by position:

Front-end Developer: $45,862
Back-end Developer: $48,241
Data Scientist: $50,484
App Developer: $47,570
DevOps Engineer: $50,893

Uber, Twilio, Cisco, and Western Union have remote engineer hubs in India, and you may be able to join them.

Philippines. The average remote software developer here earns between $20,000 to $40,000 per year. Employees in these positions average:

Front-end Developer: $39,939
Back-end Developer: $43,541
Data Scientist: $44,208
App Developer: $40,315

Companies such as Dyson, IBM, and Oracle each rely on remote teams in the Philippines.

OCEANIA

If you’ve taken a trip to Australia or New Zealand, you probably never wanted to leave. The good news is remote developers living in Oceania reported an average annual salary of $86,004.

Australia. Work from home salaries show software engineers bank an average of $84,415 per year here. This varies based on roles such as:

Front-end Developer: $82,722
Back-end Developer: $85,082
Data Scientist: $86,910
App Developer: $81,701
DevOps Engineer: $91,362

Atlassian, Google, Cisco, Facebook, Square, and Zendesk hire for their remote Australian teams all the time if you’re job searching down under.

New Zealand remote software developers earn an average of $87,592 per year. But stats show averages are higher based on positions like:

Front-end Developer: $90,739
Back-end Developer: $90,188
Data Scientist: $91,501
App Developer: $84,103
DevOps Engineer: $92,266

If you want to move to a hobbit hole in New Zealand, you can work with the remote teams at Verizon, XE, or Oracle.

WESTERN EUROPE

Dreaming about Medieval castles and all that a European lifestyle offers? The average salary for a remote developer living in Western Europe is $69,720 per year.

Let’s compare each country before you decide on your fave:

The United Kingdom. Remote software engineers earn an annual average salary of $72,177. But this annual salary also differs based on role:

Front-end Developer: $70,002
Back-end Developer: $73,293
Data Scientist: $74,479
App Developer: $71,237
DevOps Engineer: $74,636

Facebook, Yelp, Samsung, Nebulon, and Visa all have remote engineering teams in the UK you may want to scout.

Germany. Remote developers earn $72,900 per year on average here. Other work from home salary jobs average:

Front-end Developer: $73,116
Back-end Developer: $72,830
Data Scientist: $73,387
App Developer: $67,334
DevOps Engineer: $74,256

Companies such as Shopify, Snowflake, Revolut, and Yelp have remote software dev teams in Germany.

Ireland. Remote engineers may be surprised by the $74,218 annual average salary in Ireland. You’d be lucky to snag a remote job with these average salaries too:

Front-end Developer: $71,931
Back-end Developer: $73,966
Data Scientist: $77,895
App Developer: $70,890
DevOps Engineer: $70,852

Stripe, Dropbox, Hubspot, Microsoft, Gilt, and Zendesk have each established remote engineering hubs in Ireland.

Portugal. If you want to work as a remote software developer in Portugal, you may earn an average salary of $61,608 per year. If you’re in a different role, annual salaries average:

Front-end Developer: $56,956
Back-end Developer: $60,123
Data Scientist: $59,870
App Developer: $57,448
DevOps Engineer: $63,061

Don’t know where to look for a remote job in Portugal? Yieldify, Volkswagen, Google, and SWVL each have remote dev teams here.

Spain. Average salaries for remote engineers in Spain are a smidge higher than in Portugal, at $68,216 per year. Other work from home salaries here average:

Front-end Developer: $66,948
Back-end Developer: $68,820
Data Scientist: $72,676
App Developer: $67,019
DevOps Engineer: $72,610

Volta Networks, Adobe, eBay, and Amazon have remote engineering hubs in Spain, and your remote job search may lead you to one of them.

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Remote developers in Central and Eastern Europe earn a bit less than their Western European neighbors. The average annual salary for a remote engineer here hovers around $62,000.

Hungary. In Hungary, remote software developers average salaries of $59,796 per year. Other average salaries include:

Front-end Developer: $58,705
Back-end Developer: $57,653
Data Scientist: $58,861
App Developer: $54,803
DevOps Engineer: $62,115

If you’re looking for a remote position in Hungary, Ericsson, Google, and SAP each have remote teams based here.

Poland. Remote software engineers in Poland average $71,327 in annual salary. That number differs based on whether you’re a:

Front-end Developer: $65,410
Back-end Developer: $68,385
Data Scientist: $74,712
App Developer: $67,433
DevOps Engineer: $77,955

Companies such as Ensono, GE, Glovo, and Google each have remote dev teams working in Poland.

Romania. Remote software developers thriving in Romania earn an average salary of $67,449 per year. Other averages include:

Front-end Developer: $69,061
Back-end Developer: $69,131
Data Scientist: $66,937
App Developer: $62,965
DevOps Engineer: $71,435

You could join the remote engineering teams at GoPro, Nokia, and Electronic Arts (EA) if you move here.

Ukraine. Companies are snatching up remote software developers in Ukraine fast. A developer here averages $59,862 per year in salary. Other annual work from home salaries average:

Front-end Developer: $57,240
Back-end Developer: $58,335
Data Scientist: $62,521
App Developer: $56,659
DevOps Engineer: $62,977

If you’re looking for a remote team in Ukraine, Snap, Viber, and Google have established hubs here.

AFRICA

Remote developers living and working in Africa earn an average annual salary of $53,333 working for well-known companies.

Let’s see how a few compare:

Kenya. Working as a software developer in Kenya may allow you to earn an average of $51,274 per year. Other work from home salary jobs average:

Front-end Developer: $48,074
Back-end Developer: $53,708
Data Scientist: $54,332
App Developer: $48,578
DevOps Engineer: $57,399

Microsoft, Dell, and IBM each have remote engineering teams in Kenya.

Nigeria. Moving to Nigeria as a remote software developer could net you an average annual salary of $53,658. Employees in other roles may average these work from home salaries:

Front-end Developer: $50,582
Back-end Developer: $54,975
Data Scientist: $55,611
App Developer: $51,778
DevOps Engineer: $54,748

Companies with remote developer hubs in Nigeria include Microsoft, Dell, and Huawei.

South Africa has a higher COL than other African countries on today’s list. So remote software engineers average $68,956 per year here. Their remote coworkers average:

Front-end Developer: $65,354
Back-end Developer: $69,772
Data Scientist: $69,999
App Developer: $66,834
DevOps Engineer: $74,395

GE, Amazon, Oracle, Luno, and Konga each hire remote software developers for their South African teams.

Before You Balk at a Lower Salary Offer…

You must consider all the factors that go into your work from home salary. The cost of living in your country of choice, your education and experience, and your specific position may each raise or lower an average we shared here today.

So don’t get too hung up on a potential pay cut, especially if you’ve been working remotely in the US for years. A lower cost of living or better way of life in another country may be worth it. Rank your priorities and do your research before you sign any salary offers, and you’ll be golden.

After comparing the average salary worldwide for a remote software engineer or developer, you’re in a better position to know your worth wherever you go.

Ready to scout remote jobs around the globe? Head over to the We Work Remotely job board to find your next dream role now!

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