Comparison Guide
Cost of In-House vs Offshore Engineering Team
Founders often underestimate the true cost of an in-house engineering team. Salary is only the beginning. Here is a realistic cost comparison between a US in-house developer and a premium offshore developer at DelhiStack.
ADelhiStack Offshore Developer
✓ Pros
- Flat monthly rate (starting $3,500/mo)
- Zero recruiting or headhunter fees
- No payroll taxes, benefits, or hardware costs
- Onboarded and coding within 72 hours
- Scale down immediately if funding tightens
✕ Cons
- Remote-only collaboration
- Timezone management required (though we overlap 4-5 hours)
BUS In-House Developer
✓ Pros
- Same timezone and physical office presence
- Easier casual 'watercooler' communication
- Highest possible alignment with local culture
✕ Cons
- Base salary: $130,000 - $180,000/year
- Hidden costs (taxes, benefits, equity): +30% to base
- Recruiting fees: 20% of first year salary ($26k+)
- Takes 2-3 months to hire and onboard
- Difficult and expensive to terminate
⚖️
The Verdict
A single mid-level US engineer will cost your company over $180,000 per year fully loaded. For the exact same budget, you can hire an entire autonomous Agile Pod (PM, 2 Senior Engineers, QA, Designer) at DelhiStack.
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