Global employment cost calculator
Enter the salary you would budget in US dollars, pick a country, and see what the employer actually pays once statutory contributions are added. Compare up to five countries side by side. Every figure links back to the country guide it came from.
Contributions scale with salary as a percentage. Some countries cap contributions above a wage ceiling, so very high salaries will be overstated here.
Not included: the Dryft EOR fee (a flat monthly amount quoted per country), private benefits, leave accrual beyond statutory pay, bonuses, FX and recruitment. The figures are indicative planning ranges from the Dryft country guides, not a quote.
Employer cost here depends on state, headcount and salary structure, and the source figures are still being verified. We would rather build you a real number than show a wrong one.
Compare countries side by side
Pick up to five. The table uses the salary and period above and sorts by the low end of the estimated cost, so the cheapest place to employ someone at that salary sits at the top.
| Country | Employer contributions | Contributions (USD) | Estimated cost (USD) | Min. paid vacation | Baseline notice |
|---|
Countries whose source figures are still pending verification are marked. Countries with no published range (India, the Philippines, Belize, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico) are excluded from the comparison until they have one.
How to read the numbers
The calculator adds the statutory employer contributions a company must pay on top of gross salary in each country: social security, pension, health, unemployment, accident and similar levies that the employer, not the employee, funds. The result is a range, because the guides publish ranges. The low end is the floor for a standard full-time employee. The high end reflects sector levies, regional variation, mandatory bonuses and the higher bands that apply in some systems.
Three things move the real number away from what you see here. First, wage ceilings: many countries stop charging contributions above a fixed salary, so a very high earner costs proportionally less than the percentage suggests. Second, mandatory extras that are not contributions: a 13th month salary, a holiday allowance, a severance fund. Where the guide folds those into its range they are here; where it lists them separately they are not. Third, the EOR fee, which Dryft quotes as a flat monthly amount per country and headcount rather than a percentage of salary, so it is deliberately left out.
Why a US dollar input?
Because the budget conversation happens in dollars. You decide what you can pay, then find out what that buys in each country. Contributions are percentages, so the arithmetic is the same in any currency. The employee is paid in local currency (shown under the result), and FX moves are yours to plan for.
Where the figures come from
Every range is the "Employer on-cost" figure at the top of that country's Dryft country guide, which in turn is built from the guide's itemised contribution table. When a guide marks the figure as pending verification against the primary source, the calculator shows the same warning. A few countries (India, the Philippines, Belize, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico) do not yet have a published range; the calculator says so instead of inventing one. Where a guide gives a worked example rather than a percentage, the range is derived from that example and marked pending verification.
Ranges are reviewed when statutory rates change. If you are pricing a real hire, ask for a cost model: it applies the current tables, the ceilings and the extras for the exact salary, and it comes with the Dryft fee so you see the whole number.
FAQ
Is the EOR fee included?
No. Dryft charges a flat monthly fee per employee, quoted per country and headcount, not a percentage of salary. Statutory costs are passed through at cost and itemised. Ask for a quote and you will see both lines.
Why does the range for some countries look low?
Some systems fund benefits through general taxation or through the employee's own contribution rather than the employer's, so the employer's statutory line is small. That does not make the hire cheap: leave, notice and severance obligations still apply, and market benefits are often expected. Read the guide's cost section before deciding.
Can I enter a local currency salary?
Not in this version. Enter the dollar equivalent of the local salary and the percentages do the rest. The result is the same proportion in either currency.
Does the calculator cover contractors?
No. Contractors carry no employer contributions, which is exactly why misclassifying an employee as one is attractive and dangerous. If someone works like an employee, budget for them as one. See how misclassification gets discovered.
What about the United States?
This tool is for US companies budgeting hires abroad. A US employer-cost calculator, state by state, is on the roadmap.
This calculator is general information for planning, not legal, tax or payroll advice and not a quote. Figures are indicative ranges drawn from the Dryft country guides and marked where verification is pending. Confirm current rates with Dryft before committing budget. Last reviewed September 2026.
Want the exact number?
Tell us the role, the country and the salary. You get a line by line cost model with the Dryft fee included, within a day, from someone who runs payroll there.