# CEE IT Salaries in 2026: What Developers in Hungary, Poland, Romania and the Region Actually Earn

> Source: <https://dev.to/ankjhsz/cee-it-salaries-in-2026-what-developers-in-hungary-poland-romania-and-the-region-actually-earn-obf>
> Published: 2026-06-17 13:15:12+00:00

A senior developer working locally in CEE earns €2,800–€5,000/month in 2026. The same developer, remote for a US or UK company, earns €5,000–€10,000. Here's what engineers across the region actually take home — and what drives the gap.

A senior backend developer working for a Romanian or Hungarian company earns between €2,800 and €3,500 per month in 2026. The same developer, same skills, same timezone, working remotely for a US or UK company, earns €5,000 to €10,000.

That gap is real. And it is why remote matters.

Romania's tech market is split in two. Outsourcing companies pay significantly less than product companies or direct-hire international employers.

| Seniority | Local/outsourcing | Remote international |
|---|---|---|
| Junior (0–2 yrs) | €1,000–€1,300 | €1,200–€1,600 |
| Mid (2–5 yrs) | €1,600–€2,400 | €2,400–€3,200 |
| Senior (6+ yrs) | €2,800–€3,400 | €4,000–€6,000+ |

Real reported Q2 2026 figures from community threads:

The last one is not a typo. AI specialization on B2B contracts produces numbers that look like Western European salaries.

Poland is the salary leader in the CEE region. Senior developers on B2B contracts invoice around €5,800–€6,300/month. AI and ML roles are growing 15–25% year over year.

| Seniority | Employment | B2B |
|---|---|---|
| Junior | €1,700–€2,100 | €2,000–€2,500 |
| Mid | €2,800–€4,000 | €3,500–€5,000 |
| Senior | €4,000–€6,000 | €5,500–€8,000+ |

Poland also has a significant tax advantage: the IP-box regime allows 5% income tax on qualifying software income.

| Seniority | Monthly (EUR) |
|---|---|
| Junior | €1,730–€2,200 |
| Mid | €2,500–€3,500 |
| Senior | €3,800–€4,930 |

Senior data scientists and ML engineers are the highest earners, with annual figures reaching €48,000+ gross.

| Seniority | Monthly (EUR) |
|---|---|
| Junior | €1,800–€2,200 |
| Mid | €2,400–€3,200 |
| Senior | €3,300–€4,500 |

Hungarian developers working remotely for Western companies can push well above the local senior ceiling.

Bulgaria's local market pays below the regional average — but Bulgarian developers on B2B contracts with international clients tell a different story.

| Seniority | Local (EUR/month) | Remote/B2B (EUR/hour) |
|---|---|---|
| Junior | €1,000–€1,400 | – |
| Mid | €1,600–€2,300 | €20–€30/h |
| Senior | €2,300–€3,500 | €35–€46/h |

At €40/h that's €6,400–€7,000/month full-time. The gap between local and international is wider here than anywhere else in the region.

Three things move salaries up across every country:

**1. Who you work for.** Local outsourcing → product company → direct US/UK contract. The same developer profile can see a 2–3x difference on this variable alone.

**2. Contract type.** B2B pays meaningfully more than employment in every country. Most senior developers in the region have already made this switch.

**3. Specialization.** AI, ML, cybersecurity, DevOps. Generalist roles are growing slowly or not at all.

| Region | Local senior avg. | Remote international avg. | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romania | €3,000 | €6,000–€8,000 | +100–170% |
| Hungary | €3,800 | €5,500–€8,000 | +45–110% |
| Poland | €5,000 | €6,500–€9,000 | +30–80% |
| Czech Republic | €4,200 | €6,000–€8,500 | +43–100% |
| Bulgaria | €2,800 | €6,000–€7,500 | +115–170% |

The challenge isn't the salary data — it's finding the roles. Not the ones that say "remote" but require US residency. Not the ones posted six months ago. Not ghost jobs.

That's the problem ** CEEhire** is built to solve. Every role is confirmed as accessible from the CEE region. Salary disclosed where available. Company verified as real.

*Originally published on CEEhire Blog*