10 Best Cities to Hire Software Engineers Globally
Eastern Europe and Latin America have become the go-to regions for hiring top-tier software engineers. From deep technical expertise to strong cultural alignment and budget-friendly rates, these 10 cities offer the perfect mix of quality, affordability, and retention. Let’s dive into where you should be hiring in 2025.
Which Offshore Cities Are Best for Finding a Software Engineer?
Warsaw, Poland
Best for: scaling fast through highly skilled, Western-aligned developers in a stable EU market
Warsaw isn’t just Poland’s capital — it’s the heart of one of the most dynamic tech labor markets in all of Europe. According to Statista, Poland’s tech services market is projected to hit $10.44 billion in revenue by the end of 2025, signifying a continuous growth of the sector. The further projections are even more favorable, estimating an annual growth rate (CAGR 2025-2029) of 5.91%, resulting in a market volume of $13.14 bn by 2029.
Global companies have taken note of such success. Recently, Google and Alphabet Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said that Google employs over 2,000 people in Warsaw, making it one of the company’s most significant tech hubs in Europe. The presence of other players like Microsoft, IBM, and Samsung only reinforces the city’s appeal for international hiring.
Another great appeal of Warsaw is the cultural compatibility between Polish and US companies. Polish engineers are known for their attention to detail, high level of English proficiency, and ease of integration with Western teams. Combined with Poland’s EU membership and strong legal infrastructure, this makes hiring in Warsaw safe and sustainable for long-term business goals.
Bucharest, Romania
Best for: building agile, cost-efficient engineering teams in the EU time zone
Bucharest, the capital of Romania, has recently emerged as a significant player in the global tech landscape. Romania boasts a young tech talent pool: according to Romania Insider, 82% of Romanian software developers were under 34 years old in 2023, with the majority of them located in the country’s capital.
The city’s educational institutions play a pivotal role in sustaining this talent pipeline. The University Politehnica of Bucharest, for instance, produces around 6,000 engineering graduates annually, with 80% of them securing employment before completing their studies.
It is also worth noting that Romania’s membership in the European Union provides a stable and secure business environment that aligns with international standards and facilitates seamless operations for U.S. companies.
Sofia, Bulgaria
Best for: finding skilled EU-based engineers at low operational costs with strong R&D potential
Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, is the magnet for the country’s rapidly growing tech workforce of 100,000+ tech specialists. The city’s strategic location, coupled with business-friendly policies — including one of Europe’s lowest personal income tax rates at 10% — makes it an attractive destination for tech companies. Sofia hosts research and development centers for numerous multinational corporations, including VMware, SAP, and IBM.
Sofia also has a flourishing startup ecosystem. Bulgaria is home to over 800 startups, the majority of which are based in the capital. A significant milestone in Sofia’s startup landscape was achieved with the emergence of Payhawk, Bulgaria’s first unicorn. This development has attracted increased attention from American and Western European venture capitalists, pushing the development of Bulgaria’s software development industry (and the country’s tech talent!) forward.
Tallinn, Estonia
Best for: recruiting a highly skilled tech talent born in a highly innovative and digitally advanced environment
Estonia is known as one of the most tech-driven and startup-friendly countries in the world. Since the Estonian Restoration of Independence in 1991, this small country, scarce in natural resources and population, has focused on building a knowledge economy. Estonia rapidly adopted digitalization, introduced online government services, and established a unique e-Residency program that allows non-Estonians to access company formation, online banking, payment processing, and tax declaration. These steps boosted Estonia’s talent pool, promoting tech careers among Estonian citizens and attracting skilled specialists from countries with less favorable conditions.
And what can describe Estonian tech talent better than the list of successful startups, established by its representatives? Skype, Wise, Bolt, and Pipedrive were born in Estonia, along with many other successful tech companies. And Tallinn, being the Estonian capital, is at the heart of this digital nation, with thousands of skillful developers and 91% of the country’s startups.
Riga, Latvia
Best for: scaling in a tech-savvy, education-driven ecosystem with strengths in both mainstream and emerging technologies
Latvian Riga is a notable hub for technology and innovation in the Baltic region. Riga excels in the common tech subsectors, like software development, tech support, cloud solutions, and AI, as well as paves the way in more niche areas as quantum technologies and 5G applications.
The startup ecosystem in Riga is vibrant and growing. The city hosts approximately 91% of Latvia’s startups, making it the highest-ranked startup ecosystem in the country. In 2024, Latvian tech startups raised around €34.9 million, with fintech, artificial intelligence, and health tech emerging as key sectors.
The talent pool in Riga is both skilled and expanding. According to the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, Latvia ranks third in Europe for the number of ICT students per million inhabitants, with 8% of all first-year students opting for ICT-related studies, 48% of whom focus on computer sciences. This emphasis on education ensures a steady influx of qualified professionals into the tech industry.
São Paulo, Brazil
Best for: hiring versatile, cost-efficient developers who can support complex builds across fintech, AI, and enterprise SaaS
São Paulo, Brazil’s economic powerhouse, stands as the epicenter of technological innovation in Latin America. The city boasts a huge tech workforce with 240 thousand developers and is home to 1402 startups, including 15 unicorns. Global giants like Microsoft and Google have established their innovation and data centers in São Paulo, along with Airbnb, Netflix, and Amazon, which opened their regional headquarters there. That’s why you can expect to find a lot of highly-skilled programmers, with vast experience in sectors like fintech, edtech, and SaaS in this city.
Education and talent development are also integral to São Paulo’s tech prominence. The University of São Paulo, ranked as the best university in Latin America, contributes significantly to the city’s skilled workforce, particularly in STEM fields.
Mexico City, Mexico
Best for: building nearshore engineering teams with strong English skills and overlapping time zones with the US
Mexico City has ascended as Latin America’s largest tech talent market, boasting approximately 300,000 tech professionals as of 2024. Moreover, Mexico City produced 24,050 tech graduates that year, and we can assume that the city’s universities will show the same, if not bigger, results in the following years. This growth, combined with affordable labor cost and high quality of talent, makes Mexico City one of the hottest places for offshore tech staffing in the world.
Mexico City also stands out for its near-perfect time zone alignment with U.S. cities. It operates on Central Standard Time (CST), which is the same time zone as major U.S. cities like Chicago, Dallas, and Austin — and just one hour behind New York (EST) and two hours ahead of California (PST).
Additionally, Mexico has one of the highest English proficiency levels in Latin America, especially among tech professionals. This makes communication smooth and reduces the friction often associated with offshore development.
Bogotá, Colombia
Best for: hiring agile developers who can support rapid product iteration, reduce delivery costs, and integrate easily with U.S. teams in real-time
Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, is home to over 85,000 tech professionals, mainly software engineers and developers. Educational institutions in Bogotá contribute significantly to the tech talent pipeline, with over 100 colleges and universities, including the prestigious Universidad Nacional Sede Bogotá (UNAL) and Universidad de los Andes.
Another factor that contributes to the growth and refinement of Bogota’s tech talent pool is a startup ecosystem. The city hosts approximately 800 startups and over 50 venture capital firms. Notably, Bogotá accounted for 97% of the capital raised in Colombia during the first half of 2024. Moreover, recently, Bogotá was ranked as the third emerging technology ecosystem globally.
Montevideo, Uruguay
Best for: establishing high-quality, cost-effective development teams in a politically stable environment
Uruguay might be overlooked due to its proximity to neighboring giants, Brazil and Argentina, but closer considerations show that it is a true gem. Despite the country’s modest population of approximately 3.5 million, Uruguay boasts a remarkable density of tech talent, with 64 individuals possessing tech skills per 10,000 inhabitants — the highest proportion in the region.
One of the strongest traits of Uruguayan developers, apart from their high expertise, is English proficiency. Almost 70% of tech specialists report English knowledge — once again, this is the highest percentage in the region, which has an average of 52%. And of course, you will find the majority of these superb developers — about 85% — in the country’s capital, Montevideo.
The city’s startup ecosystem is vibrant and gaining international recognition. Montevideo has produced notable tech companies, including the fintech unicorn dLocal, which became Uruguay’s first billion-dollar tech company. The government’s supportive policies, such as tax exemptions for tech exports, have further fueled this entrepreneurial growth and consequently contributed to tech talent growth.
Quito, Ecuador
Best for: scaling development teams quickly and affordably — without sacrificing collaboration
Ecuador’s tech industry has expanded remarkably in the latest years, growing from approximately 500 companies to over 3,000 within a decade. Consequently, the number of developers has also grown, turning Ecuador into a worthy competitor to other tech hubs in Latin America. And to find Ecuadorian developers, you need to turn to Quito, as, according to David Meza, head of technical operations at SDA Solutions, 70% of the Ecuadorian developer community lives there.
Ecuador, just recently having a rather small tech scene, is now rapidly developing. More and more people see opportunity in remote tech work and therefore choose tech as their career path instead of other, more traditional industries. Moreover, the government has started to implement technology-specific incentives and digital transformation initiatives that only strengthen the local tech industry. This spirit of innovation, backed up by cost affordability, puts Quito as a promising offshoring location for US-based companies, especially considering that Ecuador operates on Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5) for most of the year. This means teams in Quito can work in real time with East Coast teams and maintain significant overlap with West Coast teams.
Why Hire Offshore Developers Through TurnKey Tech Staffing?
Hiring developers in top global tech hubs like Warsaw, São Paulo, or Mexico City sounds great on paper — but success doesn’t just come from geography. It comes from finding the right people, retaining them, and integrating them seamlessly into your team. That’s exactly where TurnKey Tech Staffing becomes your competitive edge.
TurnKey specializes in helping high-growth tech companies build elite offshore engineering teams in Latin America and Eastern Europe. We custom-recruit every developer based on your exact needs — no benches, no recycled resumes. Whether you’re hiring in Bogotá or Bucharest, you get handpicked talent that fits your product, culture, and pace.
But hiring is only half the battle. TurnKey’s Talent Retention Approach delivered through EOR Performance dramatically reduces churn (up to 50% lower than the industry average), so you keep your knowledge and momentum. Plus, we’re the only firm offering complete salary transparency and a flexible Employer of Record (EOR) service, so you stay in control and fully compliant in any country we operate.
With TurnKey, you don’t just hire offshore—you hire smarter, faster, and with long-term success in mind. Your team, your culture, your control — our local expertise.
Hire the best offshore developers with TurnKey
FAQ
Absolutely fair question. At TurnKey, we custom-recruit for every single role, which means we don’t send you generic resumes from a bench. Instead, we run a tailored search to match your exact tech stack, experience level, and culture needs. You’re involved in the vetting process, and you only hire when you’re 100% confident in the candidate.
You’re not alone. Most offshore staffing firms focus on filling seats fast, often at the expense of quality and retention. TurnKey was built specifically to solve that problem. We reduce churn by up to 50% through our Talent Retention Program and keep you in control of compensation with full transparency. Our entire model is built around long-term success, not quick wins.
Nope — we’ve got you covered. TurnKey provides a best-in-class Employer of Record (EOR) service that handles compliance, local labor laws, payroll, taxes, and benefits. You get one simple invoice each month, and we take care of the rest. You stay focused on building product — we’ll handle the admin.
TurnKey Staffing provides information for general guidance only and does not offer legal, tax, or accounting advice. We encourage you to consult with professional advisors before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business or legal rights.
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