Costs vary widely depending on the region, seniority, and type of engagement, with Asia having the lowest base rates, followed by Eastern Europe and Latin America as mid range, and Western Europe and North America at the higher end. There’s a big difference in any area between a general purpose Java developer and a senior architect with experience in fintech or cloud native. Costs go up in areas where there are lots of rules and regulations, such as healthcare or fintech, because there is less of the right kind of knowledge available. The total engagement cost should also consider management overhead, communication time, and rework risk.