How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Web Developer

If you are curious about “how much does it cost to hire a web developer?” make sure you take into account several moments while figuring out the answer. The web developer cost will differ due to specialists’ skills and experience as well as where they are located. In this article, we have checked the hourly web development fees in different regions and estimated the average web development cost per month.

List of contents

• How much a web developer costs depending on the tech stack
• How much does it cost to hire a web developer according to the seniority level
• How much does it cost to hire a web developer due to the engagement model
• How much do web developers charge in different locations
• Average web development cost depending on the team composition
• Conclusion

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HIRE A WEB DEVELOPER DEPENDING ON THE TECH STACK

The tech job market dictates its own rules, and some specialists can be more in demand than others, which is why it is difficult to answer the question of how much does it cost to hire a web developer unambiguously. This is especially true for the developing world with its ever-changing landscape, with an oversupply of certain specialists and new frameworks released every month. Thus, web development cost may be 20% more or less per month simply because specialists with the same qualification and experience worked with different JavaScript libraries.

The hiring process starts with defining the project’s needs and expectations. This greatly helps to outline the requirements that the specialist has to meet and find out the answer to how much does it cost to hire a web developer. It goes without saying that the technology stack will be quite different depending on the application complexity and even the industry.

Since these developers deal with front-end and back-end development, you can hire full-stack developers who are balancing between server and interface technologies and are universal in general. However, most developers deal with either the front end (user side) or the back end (server side). The knowledge of HTML5 and CSS is a must-have for every front-end specialist, whereas the other JavaScript frameworks will differ. They should specialize at least in one of them: Angular, React, etc. The list of the most popular frameworks is presented in this survey. The back-end developers apply such languages as Java, PHP, Node.js, .NET. Wrapping up, years of experience, and mastered frameworks equally define how much does it cost to hire a web developer. The more advanced skills you look for, the higher the web development cost.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HIRE A WEB DEVELOPER ACCORDING TO THE SENIORITY LEVEL

Another thing to remember while figuring out how much does it cost to hire a web developer is the experience of the specialist you would like to recruit. It is common to divide them into several ranks: junior, middle, and senior. Experience has always been the unchallenged benefit; however, it is better to hire developers due to the tasks they need to implement and pay accordingly. In most cases, a reasonable solution could be the team composition. For example, the collaboration of senior, middle, and junior developers has been successfully conducted in many projects. By any means, every project covers both simple and complicated, standard and advanced tasks. In order to manage your workforce and web development cost-effectively, the mixed team composition has proven itself since everyone is responsible for assignments they are capable of. So let’s check the tasks they perform, what you need to expect from each of them, and how much does it cost to hire a web developer with different experience:

Junior Devs (1-3 years of work experience)

A junior specialist (1-3 years of experience) will handle the general tasks. It includes managing interactive components, buttons, sliders, fonts, images, etc. They can work on the outline of the simple pages for the single-page applications and can successfully deal with tasks like interface development for the login screen or the screens with the list of some items. Basic knowledge of programming and experience in at least one of the JavaScript frameworks are required. In short, they can be great assistants for middle or senior specialists, and what’s more, the answer to “how much does it cost to hire a web developer” in a case with junior devs will please you.

Middle Devs (3-5 years of work experience)

A middle specialist (2-5 years of experience) has already gained certain skills and concentrates on more complicated tasks. They usually deal with difficult interactive elements, various kinds of animation, complex UI/UX, and responsive design.

Senior Devs (5+ years of work experience)

A senior specialist (5+ years of experience) is the expert that carries out the most complex tasks, such as sophisticated animations and system logic, and technical optimization of overall performance. Due to considerable experience, they find new solutions, resolve issues and become professional advisers in making final decisions. These specialists have not only the ability to solve tasks but also manage the work of junior and middle software engineers, which makes them the core of any team.

Therefore, the question “How much does it cost to hire a web developer?” is much easier to answer when you take into account skills and experience. We have prepared a list of the web developer fees and divided it due to various locations.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HIRE A WEB DEVELOPER DUE TO THE ENGAGEMENT MODEL

The cost of hiring a web developer can vary depending on the engagement model used. It is important to carefully evaluate the costs and benefits of each option and to select a qualified and experienced candidate.

• Full-time employment: The engagement model involves hiring a web developer as a regular employee. This is a great option for businesses or organizations that require ongoing development and maintenance of their web applications. The cost of hiring a full-time web developer will depend on their experience, qualifications, and location. In addition to the salary, there are additional costs associated with regular hiring, such as employee benefits, taxes, and office space. 
• Hourly engagement: This model is typically used when the project requirements are not well-defined or if the project is expected to take a longer time to complete. The hourly rates for web developers vary depending on their experience and location. In the United States, the hourly rate can range from $50 to $200 per hour. In other countries, the hourly rate can be lower, ranging from $20 to $100 per hour.
• Fixed-price model: It is suitable for projects with clearly defined requirements and a fixed timeline. The cost of hiring a web developer under this model is determined by the scope of the project and the estimated time required to complete it. The cost always ranges depending on the project’s complexity and the experience of the web developer.
• Dedicated development team: The model involves hiring a dedicated team of web developers to work on a project full-time. The cost of hiring a dedicated team varies depending on the size of the team, the experience of the team members, and the duration of the project. It supports the benefits of full engagement of the team while allowing shortened expenses in comparison to regular hiring.
• Project-based model: It is suitable for short-term projects with a defined scope of work. The advantage is that it allows businesses to hire a web developer for a specific project without committing to a long-term relationship. 

Overall, the cost of hiring a web developer can vary greatly depending on the engagement model used, the experience and location of the developer, and the project scope and complexity of the project. It is important to carefully evaluate your project requirements and budget before selecting an engagement model and hiring a web developer.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HIRE A WEB DEVELOPER IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS

Finding a good specialist depends on your requirements as well as the budget. How much a web developer costs depends on the complexity of the tasks, the specialist’s expertise, and the experience curve. The location of your developers also determines the budget of the project. The company can either choose in-house developers or get the advantages of outsourcing. Many companies have faced talent and workforce shortages in their local markets and applied for the help of software development outsourcing services. They have acknowledged the number of advantages like unique expertise, increased efficiency, a huge pool of professionals, flexibility, and the service price cut down. So how much does it cost to hire a web developer in different locations?

Web Developer Hourly Rate in the US

Historically, the most expensive and qualified software development professionals are located in the US; thus, web developer hourly rate there will be pretty high. However, with time outsourcing industries in other countries, such as Ukraine, became able to compete with the US companies not only in terms of the web developer costs but also in terms of quality and complexity of the tasks that can be completed successfully. Below you’ll find the average web developer fees in the US.

Web Development Hourly Rate in Western Europe

Western European developers have proven their position in the job market through the good quality of services and extensive experience. You can notice that a web developer costs less in comparison with the US but higher than average ones around the world. So how much does it cost to hire a web developer in Western Europe?

Web Developer Hourly Rate in Asia

When the company wants to shorten the web development cost, Asia is certainly attractive because of its low-priced offers. On the one hand, it seems like a good option for customers limited on budget. On the other hand, they are often provided with compromised quality. Let’s see how much does a web developer cost per hour in Asia.

Web Developer Hourly Rate in Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe has become a new pool of talented professionals. If you decide to hire developers in Ukraine, Poland or Belarus, you will find an impressive number of qualified specialists who can offer superior quality along with reasonable prices. Let’s check how much does it cost to hire a web developer here.

We can make the conclusion that the answer to “How much does web development cost?” will differ due to different hiring locations as well as developers’ experience. But we can say for sure that many projects have succeeded because of outsourcing, which is opening new development opportunities.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HIRE A WEB DEVELOPER DEPENDING ON THE TEAM COMPOSITION

Every project implementation requires certain resources, including a skilled workforce, budget, and time. Let’s see how much does it cost to hire a web developer depending on the team composition. We are going to estimate the price for some SaaS solutions, which are the most common tasks of the development teams. In order to develop the cloud CRM system, you will need to arrange the team of one project manager, two front-end developers (junior and senior ones), two back-end developers (junior and senior ones), one UI/UX designer and one QA. 

It is obvious that looking for a reasonable web development cost is only half of the way. They always collaborate with other team members. Any project should be carefully planned and efficiently managed by an experienced project manager. Moreover, its implementation won’t stand without testing that is conducted by QA. As long as you want to build an attractive, user-friendly product, UI/UX designers are going to handle the company’s requirements and users’ expectations to provide the best user experience. Consequently, estimating the custom web development cost is not enough to answer only the question of how much does it cost to hire a web developer but also consider the other team members’ charges.  

So how much does web development cost per month at Eastern European rates?

• The project managers charge $20 per hour; thus, the monthly salary is about $3 200.
• Front-end developers that are fluent in React will charge about $20 (junior), $25 (middle), and $40 (senior) per hour. As we set the team of two front-end developers, one junior for simple tasks and one senior for complex tasks and guidance –  we have received the monthly charge of $9 600.
• Back-end development also takes $9 600 per month since the Node.js specialists have the same web developer fees and work the same hours as the front-end ones.
• The UI/UX designer is paid $15 per hour, so the monthly design fee will be up to $2 400. However, we should mention that they usually complete the design in 1-2 months, whereas the rest of the team continues to work on the project. 
• QA usually charges $10 per hour and has to work full-time until the project completes. Their monthly salary is about $1 600.

As a result of the calculation, we have received the following monthly web development fees:

Generally, the average web development cost for the overall functional team would be about $26 500 per month. However, you can easily make your own price estimation using the hourly rates above, as every project has its own timeline and required resources.

CONCLUSION

Figuring out the answer to “how much does it cost to hire a web developer”, we have found a lot of essential details that should be taken into account. Developers’ skills and experience, product complexity, required technology stack, and specialists’ locations are the main things to consider while setting the project budget.