By role
Tech Hiring Costs by Role: 2026 Benchmarks
Most cost-of-hiring content lumps tech together as one category. The reality is wildly different cost profiles across disciplines. Here is a side-by-side view of six core tech roles, with deep-dive pages for each.
Key insight
Security Engineers are the most expensive to hire at 73.2% of annual salary. UX Designers are the most cost-efficient at 51.6%. The difference is mostly scarcity premium and time-to-fill, not just base salary.
| Role | Median salary | Total hiring cost | % of salary | Time to fill | Scarcity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer Engineering | $145,000 | $79,835 | 55.1% | 50d | |
| Data Scientist Data | $155,000 | $107,328 | 69.2% | 65d | |
| DevOps / SRE Infrastructure | $150,000 | $97,300 | 64.9% | 65d | |
| Product Manager Product | $130,000 | $76,767 | 59.1% | 52d | |
| UX Designer Design | $110,000 | $56,775 | 51.6% | 45d | |
| Security Engineer Security | $155,000 | $113,528 | 73.2% | 70d |
Total hiring cost includes recruiter fee at industry-mid percentage, interview time, onboarding ramp loss (50% productivity), job board spend, assessments, and vacancy cost over the listed time-to-fill. Tier 2 US salary baseline. Override any figure in the calculator.
What drives cost differences across disciplines
Engineering (SWE, Mobile, Frontend, Backend)
The largest tech hiring cluster. Mid-level mid-cost. Cost varies most by location tier and company prestige (FAANG candidates need higher offers to switch). Frontend roles fill fastest because the candidate pool is wider; staff/principal SWE roles take 75-90 days.
Data (Data Scientist, ML Engineer, Data Engineer)
Higher than average cost driven by the McKinsey-projected supply-demand gap and longer take-home assessment loops that increase candidate dropout. ML Engineers are the most expensive sub-role; Data Engineers are 15-20% cheaper to hire.
DevOps / Infra (DevOps, SRE, Platform)
High scarcity. SRE has the highest single-role salary in many companies. Cloud certifications add a 10-15% premium. These roles are also among the most remote-friendly, which can reduce cost via Tier 3 hiring.
Product (PM, TPM, Product Ops)
Lower recruiter fees than engineering due to broader candidate pool, but longer interview loops (5-7 stages including case studies and stakeholder rounds). Director and VP product roles command retained search at 30-35%.
Design (UX, Product Design, UX Research)
Lowest cost-as-percentage among tech disciplines. Portfolio review takes hiring manager time but recruiter fees are the lowest in tech. Strong contract-to-hire tradition reduces risk of mishires.
Security (Security Engineer, AppSec, CISO)
Highest cost-as-percentage in tech, often 45-50%. ISC2 reports a multi-million-person workforce gap. Specialised recruiters charge 25-30%. Compliance role requirements (clearance, SOC2 experience) further narrow the pool.
Pick a role for the deep dive
Engineering
Cost to hire a Software Engineer
$145,000 salary · 50d to fill
Data
Cost to hire a Data Scientist
$155,000 salary · 65d to fill
Infrastructure
Cost to hire a DevOps / SRE
$150,000 salary · 65d to fill
Product
Cost to hire a Product Manager
$130,000 salary · 52d to fill
Design
Cost to hire a UX Designer
$110,000 salary · 45d to fill
Security
Cost to hire a Security Engineer
$155,000 salary · 70d to fill
FAQ
Which tech role costs the most as a percentage of salary?
Security engineers and senior site reliability engineers typically lead at 45-50% of annual salary when you include recruiter fees, interview time, onboarding ramp, and vacancy cost. The premium comes from talent scarcity (ISC2 estimates a multi-million-person cybersecurity workforce gap) and long time-to-fill.
Why are some role costs so close to base salary in total?
Because all six cost components scale with salary. Recruiter fee is a percentage. Vacancy cost is salary divided by working days. Onboarding loss is months at 50% of salary. Interview time is fixed. Add them up and the percentage stays high regardless of how senior the role is.
Is it cheaper to hire mid-level than senior?
In absolute dollars yes. As a percentage of salary the costs are similar. Senior hires take longer to fill and use retained search more often (30% fee vs 22% contingency), which roughly cancels out the higher salary base.
Where do these salary numbers come from?
Levels.fyi for verified compensation including equity, Hired.com 2025 State of Tech Salaries report for trends, Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide for ranges by location tier. All numbers are mid-level Tier 2 US baselines (Austin, Boston, Denver, Chicago) updated for 2026.