AWS is a top-ranking online platform that provides scalable, reliable, and cost-effective cloud computing solutions. From startups to big enterprises, AWS is preferred by more than 1 million companies, including renowned giants like Adobe, Netflix, Twitch, LinkedIn, Facebook, Samsung, Airbnb, Slack, Reddit, Pinterest, and Spotify. With this number in mind, it’s possible to assume that AWS developers who design, maintain, and manage cloud infrastructure will remain highly sought-after in the market.
But how much do they charge in various countries? In this article, I’ll provide you with an AWS developer pay scale across the world to help you choose a destination with the best price-to-quality ratio. I’ll also dwell upon the types of AWS certifications and how they impact the average salary of these specialists.
AWS Developers Market Size
With rising digitalization and an ever-increasing volume of data, cloud computing has been gaining momentum on the global business arena. Its current market revenue constitutes $429.5 billion and is expected to reach $1.25 trillion by 2028. Among some of the leading cloud computing platforms is Amazon Web Services (AWS), which controls 33% of the total market share and hosts over 1,800,000 websites.
Such an impressive proliferation of this platform drives the need for qualified AWS professionals. In the USA alone, there are about 300,000 open vacancies. For instance, LinkedIn has 140,000 job openings, ZipRecruiter – 130,000, and Indeed – 82,500. But are there enough AWS developers in the market?
According to Amazon, 650K individuals hold associate, professional, or specialty AWS certifications. Meanwhile, Stack Overflow claims that over 50% of professional developers use this cloud platform, with about 60% of respondents planning to start working with it next year.
Factors Impacting the AWS Developer Salary
1. AWS Certification Specialization
Getting an AWS certification is a real challenge, as each candidate undergoes a thorough and rigorous examination. However, this testimonial provides programmers with a sizable advantage in the competitive IT market. Firstly, they are more likely to get a job offer, since AWS certification is an industry-recognized credential of solid qualification in cloud computing. Secondly, programmers with a certification get a much higher annual remuneration compared to their counterparts. According to the IT Skills and Salary Report 2020, earning a certification can result in a salary raise by an average of $13,000, while the AWS certifications are the top-paying ones in the world. Now, let’s have a closer look at them.
There are 4 categories with an overall number of 12 AWS certifications.
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Foundational
Certification: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner.
This type of certification provides individuals with cloud computing fundamentals, such as AWS services, databases, architecture concepts, content delivery, and security. The AWS Foundational Certificate is a perfect option for those who would like to further broaden their cloud expertise by getting Associate level or AWS Certification Specialty.
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Associate
Certification: AWS Certified Solutions Architect, AWS Developer, and AWS SysOps Administrator.
Once basic knowledge of the AWS cloud is gained, IT specialists can start their professional journey by picking 1 out of 3 Associate Level certifications. Each of them focuses on different cloud-related matters. For instance, the architect learning path is for those interested in building and deploying systems in the cloud. If a tech expert is more into application development on the AWS platform, then the developer course is a perfect match. For those who would like to understand how the cloud system functions on the AWS platform, sysops administration is the way to go.
Moreover, the acquisition of one of these certifications can not only grant individuals a new profession but serve as a pleasant bonus to the existing one. For instance, full-stack developers with an AWS Developer certification can get a wage rise up to 17%. In this way, an average AWS full-stack developer salary constitutes about 115,000 per year.
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Professional
Certification: AWS Solutions Architect and AWS DevOps Engineer.
This is a more advanced level of AWS certification which requires profound experience and knowledge of cloud computing processes. Specialists with a Professional Level are quite rare in the market. The reason for that is the complexity of the exam that tests everything from candidates’ professional expertise to overall brainpower, memory, and ability to cope with substandard tasks. It is estimated that only 28% of candidates who take the AWS Solutions Architect Professional exam manage to successfully pass it. No wonder why these developers receive over-the-top salaries in the IT industry.
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Specialty
Certifications: AWS Certified Database, AWS Certified Advanced Networking, AWS Certified Security, AWS Certified Machine Learning, AWS Certified Data Analytics, and AWS Certified Alexa Skill Builder.
If one desires to expand their professional horizons or explore a new domain, then the AWS Specialty Certification is the right choice. Each course is designed to test and evaluate candidates’ proficiency in highly specialized topics, such as networking, database management, machine learning, data analytics, and security.
Depending on the specialty, the requirements for doing the course differ. However, what remains immutable is the level of experience and prior cloud computing knowledge. If an IT specialist wants to become either an AWS Certified Security Specialist, Cloud Network Engineer or AWS Big Data Specialist, they will need to possess up to 5 years of experience in one of the above-mentioned fields as well as AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner or Associate level certifications.
2. Desired Skills & Knowledge
Interviewing AWS experts can be quite an arduous task, as each of them possesses their own set of skills and knowledge which need to be checked accordingly. Let’s discover 3 key components of the expertise required for the most popular position — AWS Cloud Solutions Architect.
Technical Background
Your ideal candidate should definitely possess architecture application, networking and security skills, basic programming knowledge (Java, Python or C#), the ability to develop and manage workloads on AWS and be aware of the latest trends and best practices of working with the AWS platform. It’s not a rare occasion for such specialists to have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, as it lays a solid foundation for enriching their competence.
Soft Skills
It’s vital for an AWS Cloud Architect to have an analytical mind to review the data and find creative solutions to complex problems swiftly and efficiently. This role also presupposes some leadership abilities, as Cloud Architects are often in charge of teams and projects. In addition to that, your ideal candidate should also be a good team player, a time manager, and a lifelong learner.
Business Acumen
AWS Cloud Solutions Architects are responsible not only for technical aspects but for business imperatives as well. They need to be good decision-makers to select both powerful and cost-effective technologies for a given project. In addition to that, they are required to be efficient communicators, as keeping stakeholders up to date on the development processes and cost of the product as well as finding a common ground with clients are some of their daily duties.
AWS Certified Developer Salary: Key Takeaways
To help you get a holistic picture of the AWS certified developer salary rates, my team and I collected relevant data in different regions. Check it out below.
| Gross annual income, USD | North America | South America |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $90,000 | $35,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $121,000 | $64,000 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $107,000 | $53,000 |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $92,000 | $49,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $132,000 | $72,000 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | $95,000 | $61,000 |
| Gross annual income, USD | Western & Nordic Europe | Eastern Europe |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $70,000 | $60,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $110,000 | $85,000 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $80,000 | $72,000 |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $68,000 | $63,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $117,000 | $108,000 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | $73,000 | $65,000 |
| Gross annual income, USD | Eastern & Southern Asia |
Middle East | Africa |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $62,000 | $60,000 | $58,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $80,000 | $80,000 | $75,000 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $67,000 | $65,000 | $63,000 |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $70,000 | $62,000 | $50,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $90,000 | $107,000 | $93,000 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | $77,000 | $85,000 | $68,000 |
AWS Developer Salary in North America
USA
The AWS developer salary in the US stands out as one of the highest in the world. Here even AWS Certified Cloud Practitioners receive generous annual compensations which usually range from $80,000 to $96,000, depending on the state.
| Gross annual income, USD | United States | |||
| California | Texas | Florida | New York | |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $95,000 | $80,000 | $90,000 | $96,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $160,000 | $130,000 | $138,000 | $167,000 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $142,000 | $120,000 | $123,000 | $145,000 |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $107,000 | $80,000 | $92,000 | $112,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $172,000 | $140,000 | $145,000 | $177,000 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | $137,000 | $115,000 | $117,000 | $140,000 |
Canada
Canadian AWS professionals are paid almost the same annual wages as their American colleagues: $110K-$160K.
Mexico
The AWS certified developer associate salary in Mexico is quite modest. For instance, the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator earns on average $55,000 per annum.
AWS Developer Salary in South America
| Gross annual income, USD | North America | South America | |||
| USA | Canada | Mexico | Brazil | Argentina | |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $90,000 | $120,000 | $57,000 | $33,000 | $35,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $150,000 | $145,000 | $68,000 | $63,000 | $67,000 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $133,000 | $130,000 | $56,000 | $55,000 | $50,000 |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $100,000 | $120,000 | $55,000 | $57,000 | $40,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $163,000 | $160,000 | $73,000 | $68,000 | $75,000 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | $128,000 | $110,000 | $48,000 | $60,000 | $62,000 |
Brazil
Brazilian AWS specialists of various certificate levels earn from $33K to $68K annually.
Argentina
The tech market in Argentina provides quite similar remunerations as its neighbors Mexico and Brazil. The AWS certified developer professional salary spans here from $35K to $75K.
AWS Developer Salary in Western & Nordic Europe
| Gross annual income, USD | United Kingdom | |||
| England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland | |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $73,000 | $70,000 | $68,000 | $68,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $115,000 | $110,000 | $108,000 | $105,000 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $82,000 | $77,000 | $75,000 | $73,000 |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $70,000 | $67,000 | $65,000 | $65,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $120,000 | $115,000 | $110,000 | $112,000 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | $90,000 | $85,000 | $82,000 | $83,000 |
Germany
The AWS certified experts in Germany earn some of the most appealing salaries in the region: $78K-$130K.
France
The salary for an AWS developer in France constitutes $85,000 per annum.
Italy
The median AWS associate developer salary in Italy varies from $63K to $97K.
Spain
The IT industry in Spain offers quite modest annual remunerations for AWS professionals. For example, the AWS DevOps Engineer receives about $58,000 annually.
| Gross annual income, USD | Germany | France | Italy | Spain |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $78,000 | $67,000 | $60,000 | $58,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $123,000 | $108,000 | $97,000 | $75,000 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $102,000 | $85,000 | $76,000 | $70,000 |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $85,000 | $70,000 | $63,000 | $58,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $130,000 | $115,000 | $100,000 | $90,000 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | $130,000 | $72,000 | $60,000 | $58,000 |
Norway
Norway is an absolute leader in terms of AWS developer salary rates, which span from $78K to $157K.
Netherlands
The AWS certified cloud practitioner salary in the Netherlands is like in Germany: $75,000.
Sweden
The AWS developer architect salary in Sweden ranges from $100K to $107K, depending on the certificate level.
Austria
In Austria, the AWS cloud developer salary spans from $65K to $120K per annum.
Belgium
The annual income of the AWS certified specialists in Belgium is quite similar to the one in Austria: $58K-$118K.
| Gross annual income, USD | Norway | Netherlands | Sweden | Austria | Belgium |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $78,000 | $75,000 | $68,000 | $70,000 | $65,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $150,000 | $110,000 | $100,000 | $120,000 | $115,000 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $80,000 | $78,000 | $70,000 | $75,000 | $77,000 |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $75,000 | $70,000 | $58,000 | $68,000 | $60,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $157,000 | $115,000 | $107,000 | $120,000 | $118,000 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | $82,000 | $67,000 | $58,000 | $65,000 | $58,000 |
AWS Developer Salary in Eastern Europe
| Gross annual income, USD | Ukraine | Poland | Romania | Hungary | Czech Republic |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $60,000 | $62,000 | $60,000 | $53,000 | $62,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $84,000 | $88,000 | $85,000 | $78,000 | $90,000 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $70,000 | $75,000 | $70,000 | $68,000 | $73,000 |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $65,000 | $67,000 | $63,000 | $58,000 | $67,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $112,000 | $115,000 | $110,000 | $90,000 | $115,000 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | $70,000 | $73,000 | $68,000 | $53,000 | $70,000 |
Ukraine
Ukrainian AWS Certified Solutions Architects of a professional level earn about $112,000 a year.
Poland
The AWS developer associate salary rates in Poland are the highest in Eastern Europe: $62K-$115K.
Romania
In Romania, the AWS developer architect salary ranges from $85K to $110K, depending on the certificate level.
Hungary
The median AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner salary in Hungary constitutes $53,000 per annum.
Czech Republic
The AWS certified developer associate-level salary in Czechia spans from $67K to $90K.
AWS Developer Salary in Eastern & South Asia
| Gross annual income, USD | China | Japan | South Korea | Singapore | India |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $65,000 | $77,000 | $70,000 | $65,000 | $30,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $80,000 | $92,000 | $81,000 | $100,000 | $37,000 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $70,000 | $75,000 | $72,000 | $85,000 | $32,000 |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $67,000 | $72,000 | $73,000 | $90,000 | $48,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $83,000 | $88,000 | $90,000 | $115,000 | $60,000 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | $78,000 | $85,000 | $80,000 | $92,000 | $55,000 |
China
The associate cloud developer AWS salary in China keeps within $65K and $80K per annum.
Japan
Japanese AWS Certified SysOps Administrators receive up to $72,000 annually.
South Korea
In South Korea, the AWS developer jobs salary spans from $70K to $90K.
Singapore
The AWS experts in Singapore enjoy generous annual remuneration: $65K-$115K.
India
Indian AWS specialists can’t boast high wages like their Asian colleagues, getting only $30K-$60K per year.
AWS Developer Salary in Israel
| Gross annual income, USD | Israel | |||
| Jerusalem | Tel Aviv | Haifa | Karmiel | |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $58,000 | $60,000 | $53,000 | $56,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $80,000 | $82,000 | $77,000 | $78,000 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $60,000 | $63,000 | $58,000 | $57,000 |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $58,000 | $60,000 | $55,000 | $56,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $107,000 | $112,000 | $105,000 | $103,000 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | $85,000 | $88,000 | $83,000 | $82,000 |
AWS Developer Salary in Australia
| Gross annual income, USD | Australia | |||
| Sydney | Melbourne | Perth | Adelaide | |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | $82,000 | $78,000 | $75,000 | $73,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate | $130,000 | $125,000 | $115,000 | $112,000 |
| AWS Certified Developer – Associate | $85,000 | $83,000 | $78,000 | $76,000 |
| AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate | $78,000 | $75,000 | $70,000 | $68,000 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional | $168,000 | $152,000 | $140,000 | $137,000 |
| AWS DevOps Engineer – Professional | $112,000 | $105,000 | $98,000 | $97,000 |
AWS Developer Salary: Top Locations to Earn the Most
From the tables above we can make a conclusion that the lowest annual remunerations for AWS certified professionals are offered in South American, Eastern European, and some Asian countries. The AWS developer rates in these destinations are about 2-3 times lower than in the USA, which makes them ideal for saving on labor costs.
However, when selecting an offshoring destination, it’s critical for IT companies to also consider technical qualifications, proficiency in English, and cultural compatibility of the local engineers with western employers. Therefore, to get the most out of scaling software development teams abroad, many tech companies choose Eastern Europe. This region has over 1 million skilled developers with a high level of English, exceptional soft skills, and a western-oriented mindset, in combination with affordable remunerations and taxes.
Dedicated AWS Certified Developers in Eastern Europe
The US-based tech company Dotmatics was once seeking an ideal destination for expanding their software engineering team. They were lucky to discover Eastern Europe with a good price-to-quality ratio. The only concern Dotmatics had was fast and quality IT recruitment, as they were planning to expand their team by 30+ software developers from Eastern Europe. To ensure their hiring goal is successfully met, Dotmatics decided to partner with a professional tech recruitment provider Alcor.
So, how did we make it happen? We assigned 4 IT headhunters who took care of the entire full-cycle hiring. It included ideal candidate profile and EVP compilation, executive search for top managers and developers with rare skills, CV prescreening, job interviewing, and offer creation. Alcor also provided some operational support to the client which was effectively ensured by a key account manager that we allocated. As a result, Dotmatics got a completely backed development team of 30 tech specialists (including AWS certified professionals, a Director of Engineering, Node.js, QA Automation, and React developers) in just a year.
Would you also like your ambitious hiring plan to be fulfilled? Then consider cooperating with Alcor, just like Dotmatics, People.ai, Ledger, and ThredUP did. With over 10 years of experience, we know how to hire offshore software developers with a proven track record and the right skills for your company. That’s why we have an 80% CV pass rate, while 98% of our candidates successfully pass the probation period.
FAQ
1. What are the types of AWS Certifications, and which AWS specialists are paid the most?
Basically, there are 4 groups of AWS Certifications: foundational, associate, professional, and specialty. AWS Solutions Architects with a professional level tend to receive really successful salaries. Read this article to find out how much they make in different countries globally.
2. Which countries offer the highest salaries for AWS professionals?
Such countries as the USA, Canada, Australia, and Norway offer the most generous annual compensation for AWS experts.
3. Where are the most affordable remunerations for AWS developers?
Modest annual salaries for AWS specialists can be found in Hungary, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and India, where they range from $30K to $90K.
4. Which region has the best price-to-quality ratio for building an AWS development team?
Eastern Europe is the best region for setting up an offshore AWS development team, as it has a huge pool of qualified programmers as well as affordable wages and taxes. The annual salary of AWS experts spans from $53K to $118K here.