Hire Brazilian developers in Seattle, WA
A senior engineer in Seattle costs roughly $19,150 per month once payroll tax and benefits are counted. The Brazilian equivalent through HireBrazilDevs is $4,900 per month, full time and dedicated — about 74% less. On ordinary Brazilian working hours the engineer shares 4–5 hours a day with U.S. Pacific time, or 6–7 if they shift their day later.
Seattle engineering salaries are pulled up by two of the largest employers in the industry, so the local floor for senior talent is high even at small companies. Pacific time means a shifted overlap window — plan for morning-heavy synchronous work and expect the Brazilian afternoon to be async.
Seattle versus Brazil, side by side
| Local Seattle hire | Through HireBrazilDevs | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, senior | $19,150 loaded | $4,900 |
| Annual cost | $229,800 | $58,800 |
| Time to hire | 6–12 weeks | About 5 business days to candidates |
| Recruiting fee | 15–25% of first-year salary | None |
| Daily overlap with your team | Full | 4–5 hours on normal hours |
Local cost estimate: BLS national median for software developers ($133,080, May 2024) × our estimated Seattle market index (1.38×) + 25% payroll and benefits. The national median is official; the city index is our estimate. Methodology.
How the hours line up with Pacific time
Brazil is UTC−3 year round and does not observe daylight saving, so it sits 4–5 hours ahead of Seattle. An engineer on ordinary Brazilian hours — 9 AM to 6 PM — shares 4–5 hours with a 9-to-5 day in Seattle.
That can be stretched to 6–7 hours if the engineer works 11 AM to 8 PM their time. We agree that explicitly with the engineer rather than assuming it, and it does not change the price. It does cost them their evening, so it is worth deciding whether you actually need those extra hours.
The full time zone guide, with every U.S. zone →
Cost by seniority, Seattle versus Brazil
Local column is our estimate of a loaded hire in Seattle; ours is the published rate.
| Level | Local, loaded | Through us | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-level engineer | $17,400/mo | $3,500/mo | $166,800/yr |
| Senior engineer | $22,700/mo | $4,900/mo | $213,600/yr |
| Tech lead / staff engineer | $27,450/mo | $6,400/mo | $252,600/yr |
Skills Seattle teams hire most
Local demand concentrates in cloud infrastructure, e-commerce, enterprise software. These are the stacks those sectors run on — and where a Brazilian senior is easiest to find.
AWS engineers
Cloud & DevOps · $4,900/mo senior
DevOps engineers
Cloud & DevOps · $4,900/mo senior
Go developers
Back-end · $4,900/mo senior
Python developers
Back-end · $4,900/mo senior
Shopify developers
Platforms · $4,900/mo senior
Next.js developers
Front-end · $4,900/mo senior
Deciding between options?
Brazil vs Mexico for nearshore software development
Comparison
Nearshore vs offshore software development
Comparison
Hiring in Brazil vs hiring a remote developer in the U.S.
Comparison
How to hire Brazilian developers
Guide
Brazil time zone for U.S. teams
Guide
Pricing
Mid-level engineer
3–5 years of experience
Full time · about $22/hour equivalent
Ships well-scoped features independently. Needs a defined backlog.
U.S. equivalent costs about $12,604/month loaded — you save 72%.
Senior engineer
6–10 years of experience
Full time · about $31/hour equivalent
Owns a service or product area end to end. Reviews others’ code.
U.S. equivalent costs about $16,458/month loaded — you save 70%.
Tech lead / staff engineer
10+ years of experience
Full time · about $40/hour equivalent
Sets architecture, leads a squad, interfaces with your stakeholders.
U.S. equivalent costs about $19,896/month loaded — you save 68%.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have engineers who can work Pacific time hours?
On ordinary Brazilian hours — 9 AM to 6 PM — the overlap with U.S. Pacific time is 4–5 hours a day. An engineer willing to work 11 AM to 8 PM their time raises that to 6–7 hours, which we agree explicitly with the engineer and price the same. We do not staff night shifts in any case.
Do we need an entity or payroll in WA?
No. Engineers are contracted by HireBrazilDevs in Brazil and you receive one monthly invoice for services. There is no U.S. payroll, no benefits administration and no Brazilian entity to set up.
How does this compare with hiring locally in Seattle?
A local senior hire costs roughly $19,150 per month fully loaded and typically takes six to twelve weeks to close. A dedicated Brazilian engineer is $4,900 per month with candidates in about five business days.
Tell us the role. We come back with candidates.
A 20-minute call to scope the role, then vetted profiles within five business days. No fee to talk, no retainer, no exclusivity.