What is a typical salary in Latin America for US-facing roles?

Entry and mid-level operational roles such as support, assistants and intake commonly run about $850 to $3,000 per month in gross salary. Professional finance and sales roles run about $1,300 to $4,250. Mid to senior software engineering runs about $3,300 to $9,400. Every figure is gross salary before statutory employer burden of roughly 25% to 55%.

Why compare landed cost instead of salary?

Statutory employer obligations differ enormously by country, roughly 25% to 35% in Mexico and Argentina, 30% to 45% in Colombia, and 40% to 55% in Brazil. A Brazilian hire at the same salary as a Mexican hire can cost meaningfully more per year, so salary-only comparisons routinely pick the wrong country.

Are LATAM salaries quoted in USD or local currency?

Employment contracts are executed in local currency because statutory obligations are calculated locally. Senior technical compensation is frequently referenced to USD for benchmarking, particularly in Argentina, then converted for payroll.

How often do LATAM salaries need to be reviewed?

Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica and Brazil generally follow annual review cycles tied to statutory minimums and inflation. Argentina requires a more frequent cadence because of indexation and union agreements, budgeting annually there produces stale numbers within months.

Do these ranges include the recruiter or partner fee?

No. The ranges are gross salary only. A full landed cost is gross salary, plus statutory employer burden for the country, plus the service fee for recruiting, employment and payroll administration.

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Benchmark data

Latin America salary guide: what roles actually pay, by country

Monthly gross salary ranges in USD equivalent across all major LATAM markets US companies hire in. Salary is only the first line of the cost, the statutory employer burden table below is what changes the answer to "which country should we hire in".

Monthly salary by role and country

Gross monthly salary, USD equivalent, before employer burden and fees. Ranges span junior to senior within each role.

Role	Mexico	Colombia	Brazil	Argentina	Costa Rica	Chile	Peru	Uruguay	Ecuador	Guatemala	Dominican Republic	Panama	El Salvador	Honduras	Nicaragua	Bolivia	Paraguay	Venezuela	Cuba	Haiti	Suriname	Guyana	Belize	Jamaica	Trinidad and Tobago	Puerto Rico
Bilingual customer support	$1,000–$2,000	$850–$1,750	$1,000–$2,100	$1,000–$2,000	$1,200–$2,400	$1,300–$2,600	$750–$1,600	$1,200–$2,400	$700–$1,500	$750–$1,600	$900–$1,900	$1,100–$2,250	$750–$1,600	$700–$1,500	$650–$1,400	$600–$1,250	$650–$1,400	$550–$1,250	$550–$1,100	$500–$1,000	$750–$1,500	$900–$1,800	$750–$1,600	$750–$1,600	$1,000–$2,000	$1,600–$3,200
Software engineering	$3,850–$9,000	$3,300–$8,100	$4,200–$9,400	$3,850–$8,750	$4,200–$9,400	$4,400–$10,000	$2,750–$6,900	$3,850–$8,750	$2,400–$6,250	$2,200–$5,600	$2,750–$6,900	$3,300–$7,500	$2,400–$6,250	$2,200–$5,600	$2,000–$5,250	$2,000–$5,000	$2,100–$5,250	$1,650–$4,400	$2,150–$4,950	$1,950–$4,500	$2,850–$6,750	$3,450–$8,100	$3,100–$7,200	$3,100–$7,200	$3,850–$9,000	$6,150–$14,400
Accounting & finance	$1,550–$3,750	$1,300–$3,250	$1,650–$4,000	$1,450–$3,500	$2,000–$4,250	$2,000–$4,400	$1,200–$3,000	$1,750–$4,000	$1,100–$2,750	$1,100–$2,750	$1,300–$3,250	$1,650–$3,750	$1,100–$2,750	$1,000–$2,500	$1,000–$2,400	$950–$2,250	$1,000–$2,400	$900–$2,000	$850–$2,050	$750–$1,900	$1,150–$2,800	$1,400–$3,400	$1,200–$3,000	$1,200–$3,000	$1,550–$3,750	$2,500–$6,000
Executive & virtual assistants	$1,050–$2,400	$900–$2,100	$1,050–$2,400	$1,000–$2,250	$1,300–$2,600	$1,450–$3,000	$750–$1,900	$1,300–$2,750	$700–$1,750	$750–$1,900	$900–$2,000	$1,100–$2,400	$750–$1,900	$700–$1,750	$650–$1,600	$650–$1,500	$650–$1,600	$550–$1,400	$550–$1,300	$550–$1,200	$750–$1,750	$950–$2,100	$850–$1,900	$850–$1,900	$1,050–$2,400	$1,650–$3,800
Sales development	$1,200–$3,000	$1,000–$2,500	$1,200–$3,000	$1,100–$2,750	$1,450–$3,250	$1,550–$3,500	$900–$2,250	$1,450–$3,250	$850–$2,100	$900–$2,250	$1,000–$2,500	$1,300–$3,000	$900–$2,250	$850–$2,100	$750–$2,000	$750–$1,900	$850–$2,000	$650–$1,750	$650–$1,600	$600–$1,500	$900–$2,250	$1,100–$2,700	$1,000–$2,400	$1,000–$2,400	$1,200–$3,000	$1,950–$4,800
Healthcare back office	$1,100–$2,600	$1,000–$2,400	$1,200–$2,750	$1,100–$2,500	$1,450–$3,000	$1,650–$3,600	$900–$2,100	$1,550–$3,400	$850–$2,000	$900–$2,100	$1,000–$2,400	$1,300–$2,900	$900–$2,100	$850–$2,000	$750–$1,900	$750–$1,750	$850–$1,900	$650–$1,600	$600–$1,450	$550–$1,300	$850–$2,000	$1,000–$2,400	$900–$2,100	$900–$2,100	$1,100–$2,600	$1,750–$4,200

Statutory employer burden by country

This is the multiplier applied on top of every salary above. It is mandatory, it is not negotiable, and it is the single most common omission in nearshore budgets.

Mexico

25–35%

IMSS, INFONAVIT, SAR, aguinaldo, vacation premium, PTU

Colombia

30–45%

Prima, cesantías + interest, EPS, pension, parafiscales

Brazil

40–55%

INSS, FGTS, 13th salary, vacation + 1/3, union terms

Argentina

25–35%

SAC, social security, union funds, indexed reviews

Costa Rica

26–38%

CCSS, aguinaldo, cesantía reserve, INS risk policy

Chile

25–35%

AFP pension, health, gratificaciones, severance reserve

Peru

28–38%

EsSalud, CTS, gratificaciones, pension

Uruguay

28–40%

BPS, FONASA, aguinaldo, severance fund

Ecuador

22–32%

IESS, decimo tercero, decimo cuarto, vacation

Guatemala

24–34%

IGSS, aguinaldo, bono 14, vacation premium

Dominican Republic

25–35%

TSS, SFS, aguinaldo, severance, vacation

Panama

26–36%

CSS, CSS educativo, aguinaldo, vacation

El Salvador

24–34%

ISSS, AFP, aguinaldo, vacation

Honduras

24–34%

IHSS, RAP, aguinaldo, vacation

Nicaragua

24–34%

INSS, aguinaldo, vacation premium

Bolivia

25–35%

Caja de salud, aguinaldo, vacation

Paraguay

25–35%

IPS, aguinaldo, vacation

Venezuela

15–25%

Contractor-based engagements; case-by-case structure

Cuba

15–25%

Licensed engagement structure; case-by-case routing

Haiti

20–30%

Managed partner employment, ONA/OFATMA, severance accrual

Suriname

15–25%

Pension, health insurance, vacation allowance, year-end bonus practice

Guyana

14–22%

NIS, PAYE, leave, severance accrual

Belize

10–18%

Social Security Board, leave, severance accrual

Jamaica

12–20%

NIS, NHT, education tax, HEART, redundancy reserve

Trinidad and Tobago

10–18%

NIS, health surcharge, PAYE, severance accrual

Puerto Rico

15–25%

FICA, local SUTA and disability, statutory Christmas bonus

Turn a benchmark into a budget

Salary plus burden plus fee, per seat and per year, against the equivalent US in-house cost.

Model your team

Role

Country

Seniority

Headcount: 3

Your modeled outcome

$106,752

saved per year on 3 mid bilingual customer support seats in Mexico, 57% below the US in-house equivalent.

US in-house$187,500

Mexico with us$80,748

$320,256

saved over 3 years

+3 seats

the savings alone would fund

5–15 days

to onboard, on our own entity

▸ Landed cost breakdown, $2,243 / seat / month

Gross salary: $1,500
Statutory employer burden: $450
Service fee: $293
Team of 3, annual: $80,748

Burden in Mexico: IMSS, INFONAVIT, SAR, aguinaldo, vacation premium, PTU. No entity setup, no $6k–$30k incorporation, no 4–7 month wait. Indicative ranges for planning, we confirm exact figures against live market data for your roles.

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LATAM salary questions, answered

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Latin America salary guide: what roles actually pay, by country

Monthly salary by role and country

See the full pay table

Statutory employer burden by country

Turn a benchmark into a budget

Model your team

LATAM salary questions, answered

What is a typical salary in Latin America for US-facing roles?

Why compare landed cost instead of salary?

Are LATAM salaries quoted in USD or local currency?

How often do LATAM salaries need to be reviewed?

Do these ranges include the recruiter or partner fee?