A senior software engineer in the US costs about $180,000 a year in salary and bonus (Built In 2026; BLS OES 15-1252), or $230,000 to $280,000 fully loaded once you add benefits, payroll tax, equity, equipment and overhead. In Latin America the all-in cost through an Employer of Record is about $85,000 to $110,000. Playhype Engineering is a flat subscription from $5,000 a month, with no hiring cost and nothing to unwind if you stop.
US senior engineer: the real number
- Salary and bonus: about $180,000 a year for a senior (Built In 2026 average total $180,713; BLS OES 15-1252, 75th percentile base $171,980, May 2025). Bay Area and big-tech run well past $250,000 in total comp.
- Fully loaded: $230,000 to $280,000, applying a 1.25 to 1.4x multiplier for benefits and payroll tax (MIT/Hadzima; BLS Employer Costs, benefits are 29.7% of compensation), plus equity, equipment, tooling, recruiting and management.
- Time: 6 to 9 weeks to hire (SHRM; Gem 2025), then 3 to 6 months to full productivity (SHRM onboarding; Watkins, The First 90 Days).
LATAM and nearshore
- Direct employment: about $85,000 to $110,000 a year all-in for a senior through an Employer of Record (Howdy 2025; Revelo 2026).
- Staff augmentation: a nearshore agency bills $60 to $85 an hour, roughly $125,000 to $175,000 a year, with a 30 to 50% markup already inside the rate (Curotec, Full Scale 2026).
- Recruiter fee: a one-time 15 to 25% of first-year salary if you source through a contingency recruiter (Dover 2026).
The cost of a hire that does not work out
Replacing an engineer costs about 20% of salary at the low end (Center for American Progress) and 50 to 200% on a fuller accounting (SHRM), plus severance and 3 to 6 months of a vacant seat while you re-run the hire and the ramp. That risk is part of the true cost of hiring.
Frequently asked questions
Why is 'fully loaded' higher than the salary?
Salary is only part of it. Benefits and payroll tax add 25 to 40% (MIT/Hadzima; BLS). Equity, equipment, software, recruiting, office space and management push a senior US hire to $230,000 to $280,000 a year all-in.
Is a LATAM engineer really cheaper?
Yes, 40 to 60% less than a comparable US hire on total cost (Howdy, Revelo 2026), while working in overlapping time zones. Playhype Engineering's team is senior engineers with 10+ years across US startups and scale-ups.
How does Playhype Engineering compare?
A flat $5,000 a month, about $60,000 a year, versus $230,000 to $280,000 fully loaded for a US senior hire. First reviewed pull request in days, and you pause or cancel anytime.
How do I start?
Email hello@playhype.ai or fill out the form at playhype.ai. You describe your backlog and the first request goes on the board.
Send your first request to Playhype Engineering
Tell us what's on your backlog. A team of senior engineers ships it as reviewed pull requests, for a flat monthly rate. Pause or cancel anytime.
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