Software Developer Salary in Colombia by Level vs the US
The first thing that influences the salary of a software developer in Colombia is their seniority level. It’s defined by the number of years a tech specialist works in the industry and their expertise with a tech stack. In general, one can understand different levels as following:
- Junior developer - 1-3 years working with a technology;
- Middle developer - 3-6 years of experience;
- Senior developer - 5+ years in varying positions.
Their programming career often starts with an internship that goes before the Junior developer position. And if a senior engineer wants to grow further as a professional, they might take on a lead position.
According to Salary Expert, the entry level software developer salary in Colombia is around $13,600. Junior engineers earn between $18,000 and $36,000. Middle-level specialist’s compensation range is $28,000 - $54,000, Senior developers in Colombia can command salaries of up to $72,000, and Lead ones — up to $84,000 a year.
When compared to the rates of American developers, software engineers in Colombia earn around 30% less. This is mainly because of the different cost of living in the countries. Below, you can see a table which shows differences in salaries in software development in Colombia and California, USA.
| Seniority level | Colombia | California, USA |
| Junior | $18,000 - $36,000 | $86,000 - $151,000 |
| Middle | $28,000 - $54,000 | $93,000 - $165,000 |
| Senior | $36,000 - $72,000 | $101,000 - $177,000 |
Software Developer Salaries in Colombia by Tech Stack vs the US
Although the software engineer salary in Colombia is significantly lower than that in the United States, Colombian specialists boast proficiency in numerous trending technologies, including Python, PHP, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, .NET, C++, C#, and more. In the table below, I’ve collected the data on the average salary of a software developer in Colombia vs United States by most popular technologies.
| Technology | Colombia | California, USA |
| Python | $35,000 - $50,000 | $98,000 - $136,000 |
| PHP | $36,000 - $48,000 | $86,000 - $136,000 |
| Java | $30,000 - $45,000 | $96,000 - $145,000 |
| JavaScript | $33,500 - $46,000 | $91,000 - $163,000 |
| .NET | $28,000 - $40,000 | $106,000 - $153,000 |
| Ruby | $36,000 - $54,000 | $74,000 - $137,000 |
| Kotlin, Swift | $30,000 - $42,000 | $91,000 - $124,000 |
Salary in software engineering in Colombia also depends on the direction a software developer operates in. The lowest salaries are found in web development, ranging from $20,000 to $26,000 per year. The situation is quite different in the mobile app development sector where specialists can earn from $30,000 annually. The front-end industry has similar salary ranges and allows developers to make $28,000 - $46,000 a year.
Back-end and full stack specialists in Colombia earn on average $42,000 annually, and DevOps engineers can count on the highest compensation starting at $42,000 a year.
And here’s how a software developer salary in Colombia differs from remuneration in the US, depending on the specifics of software development:
| Development direction | Colombia | California, USA |
| Web development | $20,000 - $26,000 | $69,000 - $117,000 |
| Front-end development | $28,000 - $46,000 | $71,000 - $127,000 |
| Back-end development | $33,000 - $54,000 | $73,000 - $128,000 |
| Full-stack development | $32,000 - $48,000 | $80,000 - $143,000 |
| DevOps | $42,000 - $50,000 | $106,000 - $151,000 |
| Mobile app development | $30,000 - $42,000 | $91,000 - $124,000 |
Software Developer Salary in Colombia by City vs the US
Location is another factor that impacts the average salary of a software developer, both in Colombia and the US. The bigger and more expensive the city is, the higher compensation rates a software engineer can expect. Let’s compare the average salary ranges for a Middle Python Developer position in the most popular Colombian and North American tech hubs.
| Colombian city | Annual gross salary | US city | Annual gross salary |
| Bogotá | $32,000 - $46,000 | San Francisco | $99,000 - $162,000 |
| Medellín | $30,000 - $42,000 | New York City | $79,000 - $143,000 |
| Cali | $28,000 - $37,000 | Chicago | $82,000 - $136,000 |
Sources:
Reasons Big Tech Hires Developers in Colombia
Latin America stands out as an attractive destination for US businesses that want to nearshore software development. But what exactly convinces tech companies to outsource software development to Colombia?
Cost-effective hiring
In addition to lower average salary in software development in Colombia, you can also save on taxes. Thanks to the Free Trade Zone in Colombia, businesses operating in these areas are allowed to pay 20% of corporate income tax instead of 35%. Thus, if you hire developers in Colombia as contractors, your overall expenses for software development services are much lower than in the US.
Focus on innovation
According to StartupBlink, Colombia is rated #2 country in the LATAM startup rating. It also takes 14th place worldwide among countries with the greatest number of Y Combinator startups. This highlights that Colombian software developers are motivated by innovation and ready to take on challenges that drive professional growth.
Government initiatives
In addition to simplified taxation for businesses, the Colombian government implements even more programs to make foreign companies invest in the country’s technology sphere. Some of the recent initiatives are devoted to building digital security, promoting AI, adopting emerging technologies, and focusing on tech education, etc.
Convenient location
Since Colombia is located close to the USA, there's a minor time difference between Latin American and US tech hubs. For example, Bogota, one of the main Colombian tech hubs, is 3 hours ahead of San Francisco, California while there’s no time gaps with NYC. This allows foreign companies to work effectively with Colombian software engineers.
All of these things add to the higher demand US tech businesses have in Colombian developers. But specifically, who are these Colombian tech specialists? I’m diving into this topic in the next section.
Portrait of a Colombian Software Developer
Software developers from Colombia show high-quality results and are characterized by the following:
- Degree in tech field. The majority of engineering specialists in Colombia have a degree in a related field like Web Management with 53% of Bachelor’s and 15% of Master’s.
- Work-life balance. At the moment, Colombian laws provide mandatory benefits for their citizens in the form of a 13th monthly salary, extra pay for overtime, 18 public holidays a year, and more. Although the current mandatory working week is 48 hours, it’s planned to reduce it to a 42-hour one by 2026 without sacrificing employees’ salaries and benefits.
- Innovation and flexibility. Thanks to the flourishing startup environment, software developers in Colombia are open to learning new technologies, improving their hard & soft skills, and taking on more responsibility.
Tips for Hiring Developers in Сolombia
Salary in Colombia for a software engineering service is much lower compared to the US. Combined with the unique skills and benefits local developers bring to your team, this makes Colombia a compelling choice.
Hire smart with Huntly
If you have specific hiring needs in Colombia, including the desired location, types of developers, and the number of positions, Huntly can provide you with:
- Quality candidate pipeline. Huntly makes recruitment easier for our clients thanks to a worldwide community of professional IT recruiters. With 300+ Colombian recruiters, we have access to a 10X bigger developer pool than freelance recruiters or even recruitment agencies.
- Fast sourcing. Once you post your vacancy on Huntly, we immediately activate our recruitment community and start receiving candidates for your position within several hours. Then, we pre-screen every CV and choose only the most relevant candidates. Thus, you receive a list of best-matching candidates within 72 hours after posting a vacancy.
- Risk-free experience. You pay to hire a tech professional from Huntly only after they join your team. And if you aren’t satisfied with the developer’s performance during the probation period, we ensure a money-back guarantee.
If you want to have full control over the recruitment process and pick up every candidate for an open developer position on your own, there are some things I’d like to emphasize that are extremely important.
Create a clear job description
The more detailed job description you share with potential applicants, the more chances you have to receive relevant CVs. Of course, not all people apply for a job responsibly, thus you might face developers’ resumes that don’t match your job requirements. Still, if you list all must-have technologies for an open position, describe the role’s responsibilities, and share information on benefits, you should attract the right talent.
Check both hard & soft skills
It’s been a while since the global IT community started to emphasize the importance of soft skills over hard ones even for tech positions, and this trend keeps growing. Candidates should definitely possess relevant tech skills stated in a CV. But for example, if a software developer has 3 years of experience instead of 4, maybe their proactive approach to work, ability to show great performance in remote teams, and desire to contribute specifically to your project could compensate for that lack of 1-year tech experience.
Make sure you hire a real person
Recently, my team and I have noticed a growing trend of scam CVs. It’s an occurrence when people apply for a job with a fake resume and pay other people to have tech interviews with hiring managers instead of them. In order to avoid hiring a professional liar, it’s important to see who you interview. Ask your candidates to turn on cameras during your conversations or invite them to your office if you have one.
I hope these tips will be helpful in case you decide to hire Colombian developers on your own. But if you lack the time, resources, or have a limited budget, Huntly will help you find the best talent fast and cost-effectively!
