See Real Salary Savings with Global Talent

Salary Savings Calculator: US vs. Global Talent 

US hiring remains the standard, but the economics of building teams have changed. Founders and hiring managers are increasingly comparing domestic costs with managed global talent. The goal is not simply to save money but to expand capacity, shorten hiring cycles, and maintain high-quality output while scaling efficiently.

The Pearl Talent Global Salary Savings Calculator helps you estimate potential savings when hiring through a managed global model. It provides directional insights into what comparable roles might cost versus US benchmarks. It’s a planning tool built to give leaders an informed starting point before diving into role scoping and candidate selection.

Pearl’s managed model includes full-cycle recruiting, onboarding, payroll, compliance, and ongoing performance support. The service typically delivers up to 70% cost savings, with 90%+ retention, and an average start timeline of 13–21 days.

How the Calculator Works

Inputs You Select

You select a role and seniority level. That’s it—no complex dropdowns or secondary filters. Pearl offers roles across Software Engineering, Design, Marketing, Healthcare, Accounting, Finance, Operations, Assistants, and more. The goal is to make modeling fast and intuitive.

What You’ll See

The calculator provides:

• Benchmarked salary rates best on US-based tax and payrolls and actual Pearl salaries paid
• Estimated monthly cost for managed global talent
• Directional percentage savings versus a typical US benchmark
  

Why It’s Directional

The output is meant for estimation, not quoting. Benchmarks change, and role complexity varies significantly even within the same title. Once a company defines its scope and deliverables, Pearl finalizes pricing through a scoped engagement.

Popular Roles That Offshore Well

Some functions are especially well-suited for global teams due to standardized workflows and digital collaboration:

Operations and Administrative Support

Executive Assistants, Operations Coordinators, and administrative roles benefit from predictable task structures and communication tools that make distributed work seamless.

Customer Support and Success

Customer-facing roles are highly effective when structured with clear SLAs, escalation paths, and performance metrics. Bilingual support across US time zones is increasingly common.

Finance and Accounting

Bookkeeping, AP/AR, and payroll coordination work well in managed global setups. These roles require precision and process, not physical proximity.

Sales and Marketing Execution

SDR outreach, CRM updates, reporting, media operations, and creative production can all be performed remotely when guided by clear briefs and review systems.

Product, Data, and Engineering

Many teams successfully scale QA, data analytics, and even software development globally. The key is technical alignment and strong documentation.

Country Benchmarks: LATAM and the Philippines

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Why Cost of Living Matters

Understanding cost of living helps contextualize salary expectations. A lower cost of living generally means local market salaries can stretch further while still providing a strong quality of life. For hiring managers, that’s what makes managed global talent both sustainable and attractive.

What the Cost of Living Index Means

Numbeo’s Cost of Living Index compares average expenses between countries, setting New York City = 100. A country with an index of 30 indicates that everyday costs—like groceries, transportation, and dining—are roughly 70% lower than in New York City.

Numbeo is widely regarded as one of the most reliable open databases for cost-of-living data because:

• It is continuously updated with contributions from verified users worldwide.
  
• It tracks a consistent basket of goods and services across hundreds of cities.
  
• It aligns closely with official statistical trends, even if not government-run.
  
• It provides historical data, making it useful for year-over-year comparisons and trend analysis.

Cost of Living and Salary Benchmarks

Trends in Cost of Living

Across Latin America and the Philippines, cost of living has risen steadily over the past five years, largely due to inflation and global supply chain shifts. However, it still remains significantly lower than in North America and Western Europe.

• Philippines: Prices have risen with urban growth, but cost-of-living remains roughly 60–70% lower than the US average.
  
• Mexico and Colombia: Urban centers like Mexico City and Bogotá are seeing faster increases, though secondary cities remain affordable.
  
• Chile, Costa Rica, and Uruguay: These are considered higher-cost markets within LATAM, reflecting their economic stability and stronger middle class.
  
• Argentina and Brazil: Inflation volatility affects year-over-year comparisons, but wages often adjust proportionally, keeping effective affordability stable.
  

Even with these increases, LATAM and Southeast Asia still offer some of the most competitive talent economics globally.

Top Universities and Talent Quality

A common misconception is that global hiring means compromising on education or quality. The opposite is often true. Many candidates come from leading regional universities recognized internationally for their technical and professional training.

Philippines

• University of the Philippines (UP System)
  
• Ateneo de Manila University
  
• De La Salle University

These institutions consistently rank among Asia’s top schools, producing graduates in engineering, business, and healthcare who are fluent in English and familiar with Western business culture.

Latin America

• Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
  
• Universidade de São Paulo
  
• Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico)
  
• Universidad de los Andes (Colombia)

These universities are known for rigorous programs in computer science, economics, and management, supplying a growing share of bilingual professionals comfortable with remote collaboration.

The result is a diverse, educated workforce ready to integrate with global teams—often at a fraction of the cost of a domestic equivalent.

Working in the Same Time Zone

A key reason companies are shifting toward LATAM is time-zone alignment. Most major LATAM cities operate within one to three hours of US time zones, enabling real-time collaboration without the fatigue of overnight schedules.

This overlap means US-based managers can work with designers in Argentina, analysts in Colombia, and developers in Mexico in the same daily standups. Similarly, Philippine teams are increasingly supporting early morning US coverage or overnight operations for 24-hour continuity.

The normalization of hybrid and remote work has made “same-time-zone hiring” a global phenomenon. Teams now structure around skill and overlap windows, not office location. As a result, distributed collaboration has become both efficient and mainstream.

FAQ

How are savings calculated?

Savings are estimated by comparing Pearl’s managed talent pricing with typical US compensation benchmarks for similar roles. Figures are directional and finalized during scoping.

What’s included in managed pricing?

Managed pricing includes sourcing, screening, onboarding, payroll, compliance, and ongoing QA support.

Does the calculator support specific countries?

No. It’s designed to estimate potential savings for globally managed talent, with data directionally anchored in LATAM and the Philippines.

Disclaimers & Data Governance

All data points are estimates and should be validated before making hiring or budgetary decisions. Salary and cost-of-living figures fluctuate based on exchange rates, inflation, and local conditions. Pearl’s calculator is intended for directional planning, not contracting or offer negotiation.

Sources

• Numbeo, Cost of Living Index by Country 2025 Mid-Year
  
• Numbeo, Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) by Country
  
• Numbeo, Understanding our Cost of Living Indexes
  
• QS, World University Rankings 2026 (Philippines filter)
  
• QS, Latin America & The Caribbean University Rankings 2026