Philippine salaries are quoted and paid monthly. For mid to senior technology roles, gross monthly salary typically runs as follows, drawing on verified market data and the government wage survey.
Software engineer. Roughly USD 1,100 to 2,700 per month depending on seniority, with senior and specialist engineers higher. Independent market data puts the Philippine software engineer median near PHP 65,000 per month, in a range from about PHP 21,500 to PHP 155,000, per NodeFlair.
DevOps and cloud. Roughly USD 1,800 to 3,500 per month. Scarcer than general software, so the band runs higher.
Data engineer. Higher again, with a market median around PHP 90,000 per month per NodeFlair, roughly USD 1,600 up to USD 3,000 or more at senior levels.
Cybersecurity. Senior security engineers command a premium over general software, typically USD 3,000 to 5,800 per month at the senior and specialist end.
For an official anchor, the Philippine Statistics Authority reports that the Information and Communications industry had the highest average monthly wage of any industry, at PHP 43,676 in its 2024 Occupational Wages Survey. Market rates for in-demand tech specialists sit well above that industry average, which is why role-specific benchmarking matters more than any single headline figure.
Cost & Pricing
The real cost of hiring in the Philippines vs hiring at home
In short
Hiring a mid to senior technology professional in the Philippines typically costs USD 1,500 to 4,500 per month in gross salary, against USD 8,000 to 20,000 per month for the equivalent hire in the US, UK, or Australia. Even fully loaded with statutory employer costs, a Philippine hire usually lands up to 70 percent below the home-market total for comparable skill.
The single question behind most first Philippine hires is simple: how much do we actually save, and is the saving real once everything is counted? This is a straight, sourced comparison. Philippine salaries are quoted monthly, as they are locally; home-market salaries are quoted annually, as they are there. We convert where it helps, and we label every band as indicative.
What a Philippine technology hire costs per month
What the same hire costs at home
Home-market salaries are quoted annually. For a mid to senior technology professional, fully loaded annual cost (salary plus employer taxes, benefits, and overhead) typically runs:
United States: often USD 120,000 to 220,000 per year for mid to senior engineers in a major tech hub, and higher in cybersecurity and specialist AI roles.
United Kingdom: commonly GBP 65,000 to 110,000 per year fully loaded for comparable seniority.
Australia: commonly AUD 130,000 to 200,000 per year fully loaded.
Expressed monthly for a like-for-like comparison, that is roughly USD 8,000 to 20,000 per month for the same seniority you would hire in the Philippines for a fraction of the figure. Recognizable salary aggregators such as Glassdoor and PayScale show home-market ranges in the same territory; the exact figure depends on city, company stage, and specialism.
United States: often USD 120,000 to 220,000 per year for mid to senior engineers in a major tech hub, and higher in cybersecurity and specialist AI roles.
United Kingdom: commonly GBP 65,000 to 110,000 per year fully loaded for comparable seniority.
Australia: commonly AUD 130,000 to 200,000 per year fully loaded.
Expressed monthly for a like-for-like comparison, that is roughly USD 8,000 to 20,000 per month for the same seniority you would hire in the Philippines for a fraction of the figure. Recognizable salary aggregators such as Glassdoor and PayScale show home-market ranges in the same territory; the exact figure depends on city, company stage, and specialism.
The part people forget: the statutory add-on
A Philippine salary is not the whole employer cost. On top of gross, employers contribute to three government funds and pay a mandatory 13th-month bonus. Together these add roughly 11 to 16 percent, depending on seniority.
The contributions are SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG, plus 13th-month pay equal to one twelfth of annual basic salary. So a USD 2,500 per month engineer costs about USD 2,800 fully loaded, before any employment fee. The rate falls as salary rises, because SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG all cap out.
Even with the add-on counted, the comparison holds. The statutory uplift in the Philippines is modest next to the employer taxes and overhead already baked into a home-market salary.
The contributions are SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG, plus 13th-month pay equal to one twelfth of annual basic salary. So a USD 2,500 per month engineer costs about USD 2,800 fully loaded, before any employment fee. The rate falls as salary rises, because SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-IBIG all cap out.
Even with the add-on counted, the comparison holds. The statutory uplift in the Philippines is modest next to the employer taxes and overhead already baked into a home-market salary.
The honest all-in comparison
Put the two sides together, fully loaded, for a mid to senior engineer:
Philippines: gross salary of, say, USD 2,500 per month, plus roughly 13 percent statutory, is about USD 2,800 per month, or about USD 34,000 per year all-in before any employment fee.
Home market: the same seniority runs USD 120,000 to 220,000 per year all-in in the US, and proportionally high in the UK and Australia.
That is a saving of up to 70 percent for comparable skill, which matches what growing companies actually see when they benchmark real searches side by side. The saving is real because it comes from the local cost of living and currency, not from hiring weaker people.
Philippines: gross salary of, say, USD 2,500 per month, plus roughly 13 percent statutory, is about USD 2,800 per month, or about USD 34,000 per year all-in before any employment fee.
Home market: the same seniority runs USD 120,000 to 220,000 per year all-in in the US, and proportionally high in the UK and Australia.
That is a saving of up to 70 percent for comparable skill, which matches what growing companies actually see when they benchmark real searches side by side. The saving is real because it comes from the local cost of living and currency, not from hiring weaker people.
Where the saving is real, and where it is not
The saving is genuine when you hire for skill at the local market rate and employ compliantly. It stops being a saving when companies chase the floor of the market, underpay for scarce skills like cybersecurity or senior engineering, and then absorb the churn. A role hired at the bottom of the market turns over, and re-hiring costs more than paying correctly the first time.
It also stops being a clean saving if compliance is handled badly. Getting employer contributions, contracts, or termination wrong in the Philippines carries real cost. That is why the fully loaded figure, employed correctly, is the number to compare, not the headline salary.
It also stops being a clean saving if compliance is handled badly. Getting employer contributions, contracts, or termination wrong in the Philippines carries real cost. That is why the fully loaded figure, employed correctly, is the number to compare, not the headline salary.
The bottom line
For mid to senior technology roles, the Philippines typically costs up to 70 percent less than the US, UK, or Australia for comparable skill, fully loaded. The numbers above are indicative and move with role, seniority, city, and currency. The way to hold yourself honest is to benchmark the specific role against the local market, count the statutory add-on, and compare the all-in figure on both sides.
If you want the detailed bands by role and seniority in one place, our 2026 Manila Salary and Savings Report lays them out, and a discovery call gives you a specific benchmark for your role.
If you want the detailed bands by role and seniority in one place, our 2026 Manila Salary and Savings Report lays them out, and a discovery call gives you a specific benchmark for your role.
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