The monthly math
Monthly cost = hourly rate × billable hours per month. Staff augmentation typically bills 160 hours/month (40 hours × 4 weeks, with PTO billed separately or absorbed in rate).
| Seniority | Hourly rate (EU nearshore) | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Junior | $30–$50 | $4,800–$8,000 |
| Mid-level | $40–$65 | $6,400–$10,400 |
| Senior | $55–$95 | $8,800–$15,200 |
| Lead / staff | $80–$120 | $12,800–$19,200 |
What's included in the rate
- Engineer's salary and benefits
- Partner's overhead, recruiting, vetting
- Project manager touchpoints (where included)
- IP-transfer legal coverage
- Standard PTO absorption (typically 20 days/year)
What's typically not included
- Software licences (IDEs, monitoring)
- Cloud infrastructure
- On-site travel (billed at cost + 10–15%)
- Overtime above 45 hours/week (typically 1.5× rate)
Country comparison
- Romania: $50–$80/hour senior
- Poland: $55–$85/hour senior
- Hungary: $50–$75/hour senior
- Bulgaria: $45–$70/hour senior
- Portugal, Spain: $65–$90/hour senior
- Ukraine: $40–$70/hour senior (geopolitical risk premium for some clients)
US comparison
US-based staff augmentation runs $90–$160/hour for the same seniority, typically 1.8× to 2.2× European nearshore. The gap narrows for ultra-niche stacks (Rust, Solidity, ML infrastructure) where US supply is also constrained. For the full pricing breakdown, see /blog/staff-augmentation-pricing.
