Front end and back end developers have different skill sets, expertise, and responsibilities, yet both are essential for successful website development and optimization. But how much do front end vs back end programmers make per annum in different countries?
We at Alcor, a professional Eastern European IT recruiting company with an extensive database of Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian and Slovak developers, are ready to answer this question in this article. Below you will find a detailed comparison of front end vs back end salary by countries, but first…
What is Back End Development?
Back-end development deals with the internal structure of a website, i.e. a database, the server itself, and the APIs to interact with it. Back-end devs ensure everything runs smoothly, and that’s why server-side languages, architecture frameworks, data structures, and algorithms are indispensable.
What is Front End development?
Front-end development is about the part of a website visible to the users, i.e. interface, fonts, colors, styles, menus and links. To make them work properly, developers use such programming languages as HTML, CSS, JavaScript and TypeScript, leverage UX design knowledge and cooperate closely with designers and back end programmers.
Here is a more detailed overview of front end vs back end developers’ responsibilities and competences:
Back End vs Front End Developer: Key Differences
So, what is the difference between a front end developer and a back end developer? One of the facts about software development specialists is that back-end developers deal with what’s on the inside of the website, and front-end developers handle what’s on the outside, which results in four different aspects.
Technical Expertise
Back-end developers use programming languages (Python, Java, PHP), whereas front-end developers apply markup and web languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript). However, it’s also possible for a programmer to have a solid foundation in both — then we’re talking about full-stack development. As shows our experience with Dotmatics, a scientific software company based in the US, top-notch programmers can combine multiple skills. One of our 20 successful hires for them was a Back End Engineer who surprised the client with their front-end knowledge and eventually joined the team as a Full Stack Developer.
Having distinct objectives
Back-end development relies on logic to achieve proper functionality, whereas front-end development aims at making the website attractive and easily navigated by the user.
Addressing different challenges
Back-end devs handle data backup and website security, while front-end programmers resolve user accessibility and search engine optimization issues.
If your product requires rare tech skills, then hiring both a front and back-end developer is a great solution, as they play key software development team roles. This was the case with another client of ours, an American online fraud detection company Sift. They turned to Alcor in order to expand to Eastern Europe and were looking for a talented Full Stack Developer. We conducted a powerful employer branding for Sift, engaged 10 IT researchers and looked through our database of Polish, Romanian and Bulgarian developers. It turned out that the most reasonable solution for the client was to hire a Front and Back End Engineer instead. After that, Alcor quickly filled the positions, provided legal & compliance assistance and eventually helped the client to open a remote branch in Eastern Europe.
Being Seen vs Going Unnoticed
While the work of front-end developers is always visible to the users, the back-end development of a website stays hidden. Despite that, both parts are essential to enhance the user experience.
Back End and Front End Developer: Market Trends
According to the 2022 Developer Nation Pulse report, there are 31,1 million software developers in the world, with 43,38% of them being back-end developers and 25,96% – front-end coders. Thus, we can roughly estimate that there are 13,5 million back-end programmers and 8 million front-end engineers around the world.
Being in the top 3 most popular developer types, back and front end coders are in high demand. In the USA alone, there are over 10,000 front end and 24,000 back end developer vacancies on LinkedIn, around 8,500 front end and 10,600 back end job openings on Glassdoor, as well as 16,000 front end and 21,000+ back end jobs on Indeed as of April 2023. Moreover, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the overall employment of web programmers will increase by 23% from 2021 to 2031 with 21,800 vacancies per year.
Average Back End and Front End Developer Salary: Key Takeaways
Below contains a comprehensive table of average front end vs back end developer salary all over the world (as of April 2023), which my team and I compiled using open and trustworthy local resources.
| Gross annual income, USD | North America | South America | ||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $57,000 | $78,000 | $106,000 | $18,000 | $25,000 | $32,500 |
| Back End Developer | $68,000 | $90,000 | $119,000 | $19,000 | $26,000 | $33,000 |
| Gross annual income, USD | Western & Nordic Europe | Eastern Europe | ||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $40,000 | $57,000 | $70,500 | $23,000 | $34,500 | $46,500 |
| Back End Developer | $44,000 | $61,500 | $76,500 | $24,500 | $34,000 | $48,000 |
| Gross annual income, USD | Eastern & Southern Asia | Middle East | Africa | ||||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $31,000 | $44,500 | $62,000 | $33,000 | $61,500 | $73,500 | $13,500 | $22,000 | $29,000 |
| Back End Developer | $37,000 | $51,500 | $63,500 | $53,000 | $67,000 | $90,000 | $17,000 | $26,000 | $32,500 |
Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in North America
USA
The US boasts the highest front end vs back end developer salary, which ranges between $97K-$158K and $109K-172K respectively.
| Gross annual income, USD | San Francisco | Los Angeles | New York City | ||||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $105,000 | $130,000 | $166,000 | $97,500 | $120,000 | $155,000 | $92,500 | $114,750 | $150,000 |
| Back End Developer | $117,000 | $140,000 | $165,750 | $111,500 | $135,000 | $162,000 | $100,000 | $120,000 | $160,000 |
| Gross annual income, USD | Seattle | Boston | Washington, DC | ||||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $100,500 | $125,500 | $165,500 | $97,500 | $120,000 | $155,750 | $92,500 | $117,000 | $154,750 |
| Back End Developer | $105,000 | $130,000 | $197,500 | $117,000 | $140,000 | $175,500 | $105,000 | $120,000 | $174,500 |
Canada
| Gross annual income, USD | Toronto | Montréal | Vancouver | ||||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $55,750 | $71,500 | $90,500 | $53,500 | $62,000 | $78,500 | $53,500 | $64,000 | $81,000 |
| Back End Developer | $53,500 | $78,000 | $110,000 | $57,000 | $67,750 | $85,750 | $50,000 | $73,000 | $92,500 |
Mexico
|
North America |
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| Gross annual income, USD | USA | Canada | Mexico | ||||||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |||
| Front End Developer | $97,500 | $121,000 | $158,000 | $54,500 | $65,750 | $83,500 | $16,500 | $35,000 | $54,000 | ||
| Back End Developer | $109,250 | $131,000 | $172,500 | $53,500 | $73,000 | $96,000 | $21,000 | $40,500 | $60,000 | ||
Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in South America
Brazil
In Brazil, the salary of front end and back end developer is $22K-$39K.
Check out our article if you’re curious about nearshoring software development to Argentina!
Argentina
The front end and back end developer salary in Argentina is considerably lower than in Brazil: $14K-$25K and $15K-$26K.
| Gross annual income, USD | Brazil | Argentina | ||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $22,000 | $31,500 | $39,000 | $14,000 | $20,000 | $25,000 |
| Back End Developer | $23,000 | $32,000 | $40,000 | $15,000 | $20,000 | $26,000 |
Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in Western & Nordic Europe
United Kingdom
| Gross annual income, USD | England | Scotland | ||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $36,500 | $67,500 | $80,500 | $42,500 | $61,000 | $75,500 |
| Back End Developer | $45,750 | $64,500 | $79,500 | $44,500 | $62,500 | $77,500 |
| Gross annual income, USD | Wales | Northern Ireland | ||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $43,500 | $60,000 | $74,500 | $37,000 | $53,000 | $65,500 |
| Back End Developer | $43,750 | $61,500 | $76,000 | $38,500 | $54,500 | $67,000 |
Germany
German wages greatly differ from the UK ones only for entry-level positions. For example, the front end vs back end salary spans between $53K-$56K.
France
French developers make less than their German counterparts: $36K-$57K.
Italy
In Italy, remuneration is the lowest among the three countries with the following front end and back end salary difference: $24K-$46K and $31K-$51K.
| Gross annual income, USD | Germany | France | Italy | ||||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $53,500 | $67,500 | $79,000 | $39,500 | $45,000 | $54,500 | $24,000 | $36,000 | $46,000 |
| Back End Developer | $56,000 | $72,000 | $82,000 | $36,000 | $46,500 | $57,000 | $31,500 | $42,500 | $51,500 |
Norway
Norway offers higher pay than Germany: $51K-$90K.
Netherlands
The front end developer vs back end developer salary in the Netherlands is in the same range: $50K-$90K.
Sweden
When comparing front end vs back end developer salary by countries in the Nordic region, Sweden offers $38K-$64K to Front End developers, while the compensation for Back End specialists constitutes $57K-$96K.
| Gross annual income, USD | Norway | Netherlands | Sweden | ||||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $51,750 | $70,500 | $86,500 | $50,000 | $71,750 | $89,000 | $38,500 | $52,750 | $64,500 |
| Back End Developer | $56,000 | $75,000 | $90,000 | $52,500 | $73,500 | $90,750 | $57,500 | $80,500 | $96,000 |
Austria
The salary of front-end vs back-end developer is lower than in Germany for junior positions, but reaches the same level of ≈$80K for senior programmers.
Belgium
The income in Belgium is higher than in Italy and varies from $28K to $72K.
Spain
In Spain, the salaries amount to $30K-$65K.
| Gross annual income, USD | Austria | Belgium | Spain | ||||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $46,000 | $65,500 | $81,000 | $28,500 | $52,000 | $64500 | $32,750 | $42,500 | $60,000 |
| Back End Developer | $51,000 | $72,500 | $89,500 | $32,750 | $52,500 | $72,000 | $29,500 | $43,750 | $65,500 |
Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in Eastern Europe
Poland
For Polish developers, front end vs back end developer income differs only slightly: $26K-$67K and $28K-$69K accordingly.
Romania
However, Romanian developers earn less: $19K-$34K.
| Gross annual income, USD | Poland | Romania | ||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $26,500 | $42,000 | $67,000 | $19,000 | $27,000 | $33,500 |
| Back End Developer | $28,000 | $38,000 | $69,750 | $20,000 | $27,500 | $34,500 |
Hungary
The front end vs back end average salary range in Hungary is the same as in Romania.
Check out our article if you’d like to know if it’s beneficial to outsource to Eastern Europe?
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is in the middle between Romania, Hungary, and Poland, allowing developers to earn $27K-$50K per year.
| Gross annual income, USD | Hungary | Czech Republic | ||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $20,000 | $38,500 | $35,000 | $27,750 | $40,000 | $50,000 |
| Back End Developer | $20,500 | $29,000 | $35,750 | $29,000 | $40,750 | $50,500 |
Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in Eastern & South Asia
China
Chinese remuneration earn as much as their colleagues in France, with the pay for junior developers being slightly higher: $32K-$34K.
Japan
The income in Japan differs from the salaries in China for middle-level specialists.
| Gross annual income, USD | China | Japan | ||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $32,000 | $42,500 | $57,500 | $20,750 | $39,000 | $60,750 |
| Back End Developer | $34,000 | $46,500 | $58,500 | $38,000 | $51,750 | $60,500 |
South Korea
Programmers’ salaries in South Korea generally fall into the same range as China.
Singapore
While comparing the front-end and back end salary by countries in Asia, we can’t help but notice that it’s compensation is the highest: $45K-$75K.
| Gross annual income, USD | South Korea | Singapore | ||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |
| Front End Developer | $27,500 | $37,750 | $56,000 | $45,000 | $57,500 | $73,000 |
| Back End Developer | $32,000 | $49,000 | $60,000 | $45,000 | $58,500 | $75,000 |
India
|
India |
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| Gross annual income, USD | Mumbai | Delhi | Bangalore | ||||||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |||
| Front End Developer | $3,500 | $6,500 | $12,500 | $4,000 | $6,000 | $12,500 | $3,500 | $6,500 | $12,500 | ||
| Back End Developer | $6,000 | $12,000 | $22,500 | $6,500 | $11,000 | $24,000 | $6,000 | $12,500 | $23,000 | ||
Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in Israel
|
Israel |
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| Gross annual income, USD | Tel Aviv | Haifa | Jerusalem | ||||||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |||
| Front End Developer | $39,000 | $84,000 | $125,000 | $38,000 | $80,000 | $120,000 | $27,000 | $57,000 | $94,000 | ||
| Back End Developer | $73,000 | $100,000 | $130,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 | $114,000 | $47,000 | $68,750 | $100,000 | ||
Average Back End vs Front End Developer Salary in Australia
|
Australia |
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| Gross annual income, USD | Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane | ||||||||
| junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | junior | middle | senior | |||
| Front End Developer | $60,000 | $97,000 | $135,000 | $60,000 | $90,000 | $120,000 | $60,000 | $85,000 | $131,000 | ||
| Back End Developer | $86,000 | $110,000 | $150,000 | $98,500 | $128,000 | $160,000 | $84,000 | $105,000 | $130,000 | ||
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the lowest front end vs back end developer worldwide salary is offered in Africa ($13K-$32K), followed by South America ($18K-$32K) and Eastern Europe ($23K-$47K). Asia and the Middle East pay more ($31K-$63K; $33K-$90K), but the compensation in Western Europe is slightly higher ($40K-$76K). In the countries of North America, developers make the most ($57K-$119K).
If you’re interested in any other details, reach out to our team: we’ll provide you with salary report on your tech positions in a chosen country and outline all the legal & compliance aspects before recruiting a team of developers in just 3-6 weeks.
FAQ
1. What is the difference between a front end and back end developer?
Front end developers work on website layout, navigation and functionality, whereas back end developers ensure its architecture, data access and storage.
⚡️ 2. How much do front end vs back end developers make in different regions?
In Africa and South America, front end and back end developers earn $13K-32K a year. Programmers with the same skills from Eastern Europe are offered $23K-47K. In Eastern & Southern Asia, salaries amount to $31K-63K, while in Middle East they range from…
3. Where do front end and back end developers earn the most?
The region of North America offers the highest remuneration for both front end ($57K-$106K) and back end ($68K-$119K) developers.