A software developer in Pakistan costs $366–$560 a month in posted salaries (11 postings, 8/2026 pull), and the Philippines benchmark is $412–$1,328 a month (Payscale, 7/2026). Official national figures for software developers are Germany $7,146 a month (median, 2025), Sweden $5,548 a month (average, 2025), Canada $5,864 a month at 40 hours a week (median, 2023-2024) and Australia $7,644 a month (median, May 2025), against a US median of $11,332 a month (May 2025 OEWS national estimates).
Each country's figure is a different kind of number, so the table labels every one: our own posted-salary index for Pakistan, a third-party salary survey for the Philippines, and national statistics for the rest. We never average them into one rate. Converted at 1 USD = ₨276.98, open exchange-rate data as of 10/2026.
| COUNTRY | USD/MONTH | AS PUBLISHED | WHAT THE NUMBER IS | SOURCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | $366–$560 | · | Average posted salary band, software engineer postings, n=11 | OUR OBSERVED INDEX 8/2026 pull · method |
| Philippines | $412–$1,328 | · | Salary survey range, software engineer, converted from an annual figure | PUBLIC BENCHMARK Payscale, 7/2026 |
| Germany | $7,146 | EUR 6,301 / month | Median monthly pay, Software development, expert level (Berufe in der Softwareentwicklung, hoch komplexe Tätigkeiten) (KldB 2010 43414), 2025 | NATIONAL STATISTICS Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), Entgeltatlas |
| Sweden | $5,548 | SEK 55,500 / month | Average monthly pay, Software and system developers (SSYK 2012 2512), 2025 | NATIONAL STATISTICS Statistics Sweden (SCB), wage structure statistics, table TAB5696 |
| Canada | $5,864 | CAD 48.08 / hour
= CAD 8,334 / month at 40 hours a week |
Median hourly wage, Software developers and programmers (NOC 2021 21232), 2023-2024 | NATIONAL STATISTICS Government of Canada Job Bank, from the Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey |
| Australia | $7,644 | AUD 2,537 / week
= AUD 10,994 / month |
Median weekly earnings, Software and Applications Programmers (ANZSCO 2613), May 2025 | NATIONAL STATISTICS Jobs and Skills Australia, from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (May 2025, customised report) |
| United States | $11,332 | USD 135,980 / year | Median annual wage, Software Developers (15-1252.00), May 2025 OEWS national estimates | NATIONAL STATISTICS US Bureau of Labor Statistics |
Every figure here is pay before tax. None of them is what an employer spends. In Germany, Sweden, Canada and Australia the employer also pays statutory social contributions and, usually, benefits; Canada's Job Bank reports that 94.8% of software developers there receive at least one non-wage benefit. A developer hired in Pakistan or the Philippines through an agency or an employer of record carries a markup on top of the salary, and you take on management time and a time-zone gap. Our Pakistan hiring cost guide shows the posted wage, the cost to employ and a typical agency quote side by side.
On salary alone, both sit far below every Western figure in the table. The choice between them turns on the role. Our fit call for Pakistan on software engineering: a good fit. Strong senior engineering value: observed posted bands run well below India at comparable seniority and the market is not fished out. For the Philippines: a conditional fit. Real engineering market but smaller senior pool than India and costs above Pakistan; strongest when paired with voice/support teams. The software developer comparison adds India and Vietnam, and Pakistan vs the Philippines covers the roles each country fits.
Pakistan's band is the average of posted minimum and maximum salaries for software engineer roles in our own pull. The Philippines band is a third-party salary survey range, converted from annual to monthly. Every other figure comes from a national statistics office or a government labour-market service, copied as published; the only arithmetic is unit conversion (weekly × 52 ÷ 12, hourly × 40 hours × 52 ÷ 12) and currency conversion at the site's stored rate. Germany and Canada publish medians, Sweden publishes an average, Australia a full-time median. The United Kingdom is not shown yet: its official occupation table was not read for this edition, and we will not substitute a salary-survey site for it.
The table narrows the country. Our people on the ground name the actual teams in Pakistan and get you a real quote, after we sit across the table from them ourselves.