The Nearshore Cost Advantage Report 2026

The Real Cost of a US Hire vs. Nearshore Staffing

The numbers behind the nearshore decision

If you’re weighing the cost of a US tech hire against nearshore alternatives, this report gives you the benchmarks and the math behind them. We analyzed 367 senior placements from Fast Dolphin’s database since 2022 and compared them against the true cost of equivalent US hires at the same seniority level. The result: a weighted average of 54% savings per resource, across five Latin American markets. See why more US companies are building their tech teams in Latin America, and what it could mean for yours.

Inside the report

Savings by role

Bill rates and annual savings across senior IT and Engineering roles, benchmarked against equivalent US salaries at the same seniority level.

Savings by country

Where US clients save the most, broken out across the five Latin American markets we serve. Each country includes average savings and the top in-demand specializations.

What a US hire really costs

The full 56% employer burden behind a US salary, broken down line by line. Covers payroll taxes, benefits, paid time off, recruiting, ramp-up, and turnover.