Software Developer Salary in Mexico by Level
One can understand Junior, Middle, and Senior levels in their own ways, since seniority is defined by how close a developer works with a specific technology, plus how many versions of it they have mastered. And as this concept might be a bit subjective, I suggest you stick to the following classification to be on the same page:
| Seniority level | Years of experience |
| Junior | 1-3 |
| Middle | 3-6 |
| Senior | 5+ |
And what about salaries?
The entry level software developer salary in Mexico is around $14,500 a year. Junior specialists can reach the mark of $33,600 after gaining some hands-on experience with a particular tech stack. Middle developers in Mexico can expect to make $30,000 - 54,000 while Senior software engineer salaries in Mexico range from $42,000 to $72,000.
One more factor that adds to the difference in salaries is a specialist’s location. The software developer salary in Mexico city is likely to be higher than in other Latin American tech hubs like Guadalajara or Monterrey.
Software Engineer Salary in Mexico by Industry
Another thing that impacts the average salary in Mexico for a software engineer is the direction of software development they specialize in.
Web developers working with technologies like Salesforce or WordPress can expect to make $32,000 a year.
Front-end engineers’ median annual salary is about $31,000. Back-end and full-stack developers have an average income of approximately $35,000 a year.
DevOps specialists with expertise in AWS/ Azure/ GCP and CI/CD best practices earn around $37,000.
Mobile app developers earn $29,000 or so, depending on the technologies they work with and their experience level.
Software Developer Salaries in Mexico by Tech Stack
Software developers in Mexico are proficient in a number of trending technologies, including Python, PHP, Java, JavaScript, .NET, and Ruby ‒ with all their frameworks and libraries. If there’s a need to build iOS or Android mobile apps, you can also find highly qualified Kotlin and Swift experts.
Let’s see how the average salary of a software developer in Mexico differs according to their tech stack.
| Technology | Gross annual salary range in USD | ||
| Junior | Middle | Senior | |
| Python | 18,000 - 30,000 | 30,000 - 48,000 | 48,000 - 66,000 |
| PHP | 18,000 - 30,000 | 30,000 - 48,000 | 48,000 - 60,000 |
| Java | 24,000 - 42,000 | 42,000 - 54,000 | 54,000 - 66,000 |
| JavaScript | 18,000 - 30,000 | 30,000 - 48,000 | 48,000 - 66,000 |
| .NET | 18,000 - 30,000 | 30,000 - 42,000 | 42,000 - 54,000 |
| Ruby | 22,000 - 36,000 | 36,000 - 54,000 | 54,000 - 72,000 |
| Kotlin | 14,500 - 28,000 | 28,000 - 42,000 | 42,000 - 54,000 |
| Swift | 18,000 - 30,000 | 30,000 - 42,000 | 42,000 - 54,000 |
Sources:
- https://www.glassdoor.com/Community/index.htm
- https://www.erieri.com/
- Huntly’s internal research
Reasons Big Tech Hire Developers in Mexico
One of the main factors that encourages businesses to hire software developers from Mexico is cost-effectiveness. Let’s see how the average annual salary differs for senior software engineers in Mexico and the United States.
| Position: Senior Software Engineer | |||
| Average annual salary in Mexico | Average annual salary in the USA | ||
| Mexico City | $46,800 | San Francisco, California | $219,000 |
| Guadalajara | $46,200 | Chicago, Illinois | $191,000 |
| Monterrey | $31,800 | Atlanta, Georgia | $183,000 |
As you can see, the numbers differ dramatically and even the software engineer’s salary in Mexico City is up to 5 times lower than in American tech hubs. However, Mexico’s attractiveness for US businesses isn’t defined only by affordable software development prices. Below, there are more reasons why US-based companies go for IT outsourcing to Latin America, including Mexico as one of the most favorable destinations.
Close proximity to the USA
Businesses often choose to nearshore software development because of little-to-no time difference as well as similar work cultures. And among all LATAM tech hubs, Mexico meets these requirements the best.
High quality of developers
The country’s educational system is greatly focused on tech programs and ensures a steady flow of 130,000 STEM graduates a year. In Mexico City alone, there are 300K+ tech specialists, so there’s no shortage of tech talent in the country.
Developed tech hubs
Taking into account the above-mentioned facts, tech giants find it beneficial to build their software development teams in Mexico. For example, IBM and Oracle have their offices in the country’s top tech hubs. With such outstanding companies investing into the Mexican IT industry, the country’s IT service market is expected to experience a 5.51% CAGR growth by 2029.
With that said, the combination of moderate average salary in software development in Mexico, its geographical closeness to the USA, and proven proficiency of Mexican software engineers in the technological landscape, make the country a top hiring destination among American businesses.
Portrait of a Mexican Software Developer
Mexican software developers can boast great tech proficiency thanks to the country’s focus on STEM programs. For example, Monterrey University of Technology and Higher Education, which is located in Mexico, is ranked #4 in Latin America University Rankings 2023. Thus, tech specialists in Mexico usually possess a Bachelor's or Master’s.
Since the software development industry in Mexico is mainly concentrated in several hubs such as Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey, these cities are most attractive for software engineers to live and work. However, as a result of the pandemic, Mexican developers have gotten open to remote work, too.
Talking about preferred industries, the majority of Mexican software developers work in the Legal sphere, followed by the Electronics and Banking industries.
Tips for Hiring Developers in Mexico
If you’re considering extending your development team to Mexico, but lack IT recruitment expertise, resources, or time, Huntly is your go-to solution for hiring high-quality local talents. Here’s how you benefit when delegating your tech staffing tasks to Huntly:
- 10X bigger pipeline than with traditional recruitment methods. Huntly’s approach to IT hiring is based on the referrals on scale. Thanks to 700+ Huntly recruiters based in LATAM, we have access to a 1.5-million talent pool and can provide you with a pipeline of quality candidates within 72 hours after you post your vacancy on our platform.
- Only relevant pre-vetted candidates. Huntly is very picky about software engineer profiles we send to our clients. To ensure only the best matching professionals for your position, we use two-step verification that includes AI screening and review by the Huntly internal recruitment team.
- Cost-effective hiring. We want to make quality tech recruitment affordable for everyone, so at Huntly it’s you who decides on the amount of a bonus for a successful hire.
If you aren't ready to hire Mexican developers right now and want to examine the market more, you can also take the following steps.
Build your company presence in Mexico
To hire top developers in Mexico, you should offer them attractive working conditions. But how can they know about your company if your main office is located in San Francisco, for example? In this case, you could direct your marketing efforts into building your company brand in Mexico. Here’s just a few things you can do to spread awareness of your company among Mexican tech talents:
- Be active on social media like LinkedIn and Facebook to talk about your company and how it’s presented in Mexico;
- Share success stories if you had a chance to finish any projects for Mexican clients: developers looking for a job want to know what kind of projects they’ll have to work on;
- Run PR campaigns on Mexican media like industry-specific online magazines to tell Mexican developers about your company and why it’s worth their attention.
The more interest you provoke in Mexican developers, the higher chances you have to hire the best of them.
Learn the legal ways to employ software developers
When hiring in Mexico, businesses have two legal options: engaging workers as full-time employees or as independent contractors. Understanding the differences and responsibilities tied to each option is essential to staying compliant with Mexican labor laws.
Full-time hiring requires employers to adhere to the Mexican Federal Labour Law. Employers are responsible for managing payroll, withholding taxes, and providing legal benefits such as health insurance, paid vacation, and bonuses. They must also ensure a safe workplace, set working hours, and pay overtime when applicable.
Hiring independent contractors offers more flexibility, as contractors don’t demand the perks of employed developers. Contractors typically work on a project basis, set their own schedules, manage their own taxes and benefits, and are not entitled to severance or notice. However, employers must establish clear service agreements to define the scope of work and avoid misunderstandings.
Treating full-time employees as contractors can result in legal and financial consequences. If the government identifies misclassification, the employer may face lawsuits, fines, and liability for unpaid benefits, taxes, and severance. Thus, proper classification is vital to avoid these risks.
Once you know what developers you need to hire and what employment type to choose, Huntly is here to help you streamline your tech recruitment in Mexico!
