Offshore Hiring Cost Estimator
Model the true all-in cost of building an offshore engineering team — base salary, employer statutory contributions, service fees, equipment, tools and management overhead — across four engagement models side by side.
Trusted by
Salary + statutory rate
Engineers in the team
Months
Total engagement cost
Engagement model comparison
Second Talent — managed
$0 total
Traditional EOR (Deel / Oyster-style)
$0 total
Direct contractor agreements
$0 total
Your own local entity
$0 total
Per-engineer monthly breakdown
| Cost component | Second Talent | Traditional EOR | Contractor | Own entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Employer statutory | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Service fee / entity overhead | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Remote tools | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Management overhead | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| All-in per-engineer monthly | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
All-in monthly
$0
full team via Second Talent
Engagement total
$0
over selected duration
3-year TCO
$0
total cost of ownership
Saved vs US in-house
$0
at $14,500/mo US senior rate
Agent-ready talent at $103K a year less.
Vetted on agentic workflows and matched to your stack before you see a résumé.
60 %
Typical cost reduction vs US fully-loaded salaries
9 mkts
Asia-Pacific markets covered by Second Talent
25 k USD
Average setup cost for a local entity (excluding maintenance)
36 mo
Payback horizon where entity economics beat managed EOR
Four engagement models, very different economics
Each model above trades off setup cost, monthly burn, and legal exposure differently. The estimator shows which one wins for your team size and timeline.
Second Talent — managed
Full-service: sourcing, vetting, EOR, payroll, compliance, and performance management under one flat per-seat fee. Zero setup cost, zero minimum engagement, replacement on our dime if the fit is wrong. Best for 1–50 engineers across any of our nine markets.
Traditional EOR (Deel / Oyster-style)
You source and vet the engineer yourself, then hire them through a generic EOR platform. Monthly fees typically run 60–80% higher than Second Talent's, and you own all the sourcing and performance risk. Good fit if you already know exactly who to hire.
Direct contractor agreements
Fastest to set up, but contractors demand ~15% higher rates to self-cover benefits and taxes, and you carry misclassification risk in most jurisdictions. Works for short-term work; dangerous as a long-term team structure.
Your own local entity
Registering a local subsidiary eliminates the per-seat EOR fee but costs $15k–40k upfront and $2.5k–4k/month in accounting, tax, and compliance overhead. Makes sense at 10+ engineers in one country over 3+ years — not before.
How to read this estimator
Read the comparison bars first, then the per-engineer table, then the headline numbers — in that order.
Set the team profile
Pick the country, team size, and seniority mix. Statutory employer contributions vary from 6.5% in Hong Kong to 31% in China — the estimator pulls the right rate automatically.
Pick the engagement length
The engagement length spreads one-time costs (entity setup, equipment) across the months. Short engagements make entity setup look expensive; long ones make it pay back.
Compare all four models
The stacked bars show where each model's money actually goes. Own-entity teams often look cheapest per-engineer-per-month but lose on setup cost for small teams or short engagements.
Check the per-engineer table
The table breaks down the monthly cost into base salary, employer statutory, service fee, tools, and management overhead. Every row is a line item you will eventually see on an invoice somewhere.
Use the headline numbers
All-in monthly, full engagement total, 3-year TCO, and savings vs a US in-house team at $14,500/month fully loaded. These are the numbers to bring to your finance partner.
Offshore hiring estimator FAQ
How accurate are the salary bands?
What are "employer statutory contributions"?
When does setting up your own entity pay back?
Why is a "Traditional EOR" more expensive than Second Talent?
What is the risk with contractor agreements?
Does this estimator include the cost of managing a remote team?
What this estimator helps you understand
Practical numbers for planning your budget.
All-in monthly and full-engagement cost for a remote offshore team in any of 9 Asia-Pacific markets
Four engagement models compared: Second Talent managed, traditional EOR, direct contractor, or your own local entity
Country-specific employer statutory contributions (from 6.5% in Hong Kong to 31% in China)
3-year total cost of ownership including entity setup, equipment, tools and management overhead
Related estimators
Get a real quote in 24 hours.
Send us your role and budget and our team will reply with a tailored estimate plus 6 vetted candidates.
Get Your Quote