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Cost of hiring software engineers: in-house vs Remote Pro Ai

The Team Cost Calculator compares the full cost of hiring software engineers in-house with the cost of a Remote Pro Ai team. Choose a country and roles; the tool adds salary, allowances, social insurance such as GOSI, visas, recruiting, vacancy time and end-of-service gratuity, then compares them with our monthly rates and a 4-working-day start.

Fig. 01Team Cost Calculator

  • 122role profiles
  • 9practices
  • 72hfree hold
  • 4working days to start

In-house vs Remote Pro Ai: Backend engineer, Saudi Arabia

Seniority
Employee nationality (Gulf)

Changes social insurance, visa and Saudization assumptions.

The full cost of hiring software engineers in-house, line by line

Defaults are typical market values for the country and seniority. Replace them with your own figures for a precise comparison.

Your figureYear one
Base salaryRemote Pro Ai Research estimates, October 2026
SAR
SAR 378,000
Allowanceshousing and transport where customary (Gulf)
SAR
SAR 132,000
Social insuranceGOSI employer contribution in Saudi Arabia, set by nationality; equivalent employer contributions elsewhere
%
SAR 59,925
Health insurance and benefits
SAR
SAR 13,200
End-of-service gratuity accrual (Gulf)
SAR
SAR 15,756
Visa, residence permit, work permit, medical checks and the expatriate levy (expatriates)
SAR
SAR 0
Recruitingagency fee as a share of annual salary, or internal recruiter time
%
SAR 75,600
Time to hireweeks without the role filled
Ramp-upweeks to full productivity
Equipment, software licences, office space and training
SAR
SAR 7,200
Attrition and backfillprobability-weighted replacement cost
%
SAR 11,340

End-of-service gratuity follows the Labour Law: half a month's salary for each of the first 5 years, and a full month's salary for each year after.

The Remote Pro Ai equivalent

Monthly rate for Backend engineer, Senior

SAR 23,000

Includes equipment, security tooling, performance management, a customer success manager and replacement cover

  • No recruiting cost, no vacancy months, no end-of-service gratuity, no visas

Starts in 4 working days (bench or off-bench)

Rates from the same pricing engine as our instant quotes, VAT excluded.

Your comparison

In-house · Year one

SAR 693,021

Remote Pro Ai · Year one

SAR 276,000

Difference

SAR 417,021 (60%)

In-house: SAR 693,021 · Remote Pro Ai: SAR 276,000 · Difference: SAR 417,021 (60%)

693k276k617k276kYear oneFollowing years
  • In-house
  • Remote Pro Ai

In-house hire productive in about 14 weeks · Remote Pro Ai engineer working in 4 working days

Turn into a quote

Indicative estimate generated by the Remote Pro Ai Team Cost Calculator on from the inputs and assumptions listed; not a binding quote. remote-pro.ai/en/tools/team-cost-calculator

Assumptions behind the numbers

Edit assumptions

  • Salary defaults are medians for the country, city and seniority, from the source shown.
  • Social insurance and gratuity follow the national rules in force on 1 October 2026, and you can edit the rates.
  • Exchange rates as of 1 October 2026.
  • Recruiting uses a typical agency fee for the country unless you choose internal recruiting.
  • Vacancy time defaults to the typical time to hire for the role and country.
  • Attrition uses the default annual rate shown, applied to the replacement cost.
  • Remote Pro Ai prices exclude VAT and include no placement or exit fees.
  • The calculator does not model the effect on your company's Nitaqat bands.
  • This is a planning estimate, not tax or legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

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Base salary, allowances, social insurance such as Saudi GOSI, health insurance, end-of-service gratuity, visas, permits and the expatriate levy, recruiting, vacancy time, ramp-up, equipment, office space and attrition. Each line is visible and editable, and the result shows every item separately, so the comparison reflects your real costs rather than generic averages.

It applies the employer contribution rates of Saudi Arabia's General Organization for Social Insurance according to the employee's nationality, because rates differ for Saudi and non-Saudi employees. Rates follow the rules in force, and you can edit them if your establishment is subject to different rates. The rate used appears in the assumptions with its date.

Each default shows its source and date beside the figure. They are starting points only. For an accurate comparison, replace them with the salaries from your own offers or salary bands, and the calculator recalculates instantly. Your figures stay in the result link and are never stored in an account.

It includes the engineer's employment costs, equipment, security tooling, performance management, a customer success manager and replacement cover. VAT is excluded and shown at checkout. There are no placement or exit fees; conversion to your payroll is optional, at 25% of first-year gross salary in months 1–6, 15% in months 7–12 and nothing after 12 months.

No saving is guaranteed: the result is an estimate built on your inputs. What is fixed is the Remote Pro Ai price in your instant quote, valid 30 days and fixed for your term. Where costs are close, the value is speed and guaranteed replacement, and many clients combine a core in-house team with our specialists.

Because vacancy is a real cost: every week without the engineer delays your roadmap. Hiring a specialist in-house usually takes weeks or months, while our specialists start within 4 working days of signature, with 1 free day for every late day. You can set the default vacancy time to match your own experience.

No. Our specialists are employed by Remote Pro Ai, so they do not enter your establishment's Nitaqat bands. To support localisation targets, we provide Saudi on-site roles through our Saudi entity, or a delivery centre in your name under Build-Operate-Transfer that transfers to you later. Your deal desk can explain each option's effect.

Start today

4 working days

Your team can be working within 4 working days of signature.