QA engineer cost: Spain vs Portugal
Employee model, median, USD at the dataset exchange rates (0.8947 EUR per USD on 7 October 2026[18]), computed 17 October 2026.
A mid-level manual QA engineer costs USD 50,666Confidence B a year in Spain and USD 37,331Confidence B in Portugal, median total employer cost.
Employer contributions (social security and payroll taxes the employer pays on top of salary) are USD 9,938 and USD 5,669 of those totals.
Roles and levels published in both
| Role and level | Spain | Portugal | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual QA engineer, mid-level | USD 50,666Confidence B[1] to [18] | USD 37,331Confidence B[8] to [25] | -USD 13,335 |
Each figure links to its breakdown page; its footnotes point to the sources of that record in the list below.
The letter after each figure is its confidence grade (A, B or C, from the number and agreement of the sources).
Difference by component: manual QA engineer, mid-level
Salary differences come from the salary sources in each country; contribution differences from each statute (see the Spain and Portugal pages); equipment is priced in USD in both.
| Component | Spain | Portugal | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base salary | USD 30,911[1][2] | USD 23,870[19][20] | -USD 7,041 |
| Employer contributions | USD 9,938[3][4][5][6] | USD 5,669[21][22][23] | -USD 4,269 |
| Mandatory benefits | USD 5,152[7] | USD 3,978[24][25] | -USD 1,174 |
| Voluntary benefits | not estimated | not estimated | n/a |
| Equipment and tooling | USD 1,130[8] to [14] | USD 1,130[8] to [14] | USD 0 |
| Recruiting, amortised over 2.5 years | USD 2,473[15][16][17] | USD 1,910[15][16][17] | -USD 563 |
| Onboarding ramp, amortised over 2.5 years | USD 1,062[1] to [7] | USD 773[19] to [25] | -USD 289 |
| Total annual cost | USD 50,666 | USD 37,331 | -USD 13,335 |
Questions
- How much more does a mid-level manual QA engineer cost in Spain than in Portugal?
- USD 13,335 a year more at the median (USD 50,666 against USD 37,331), total employer cost, computed 17 October 2026.
- How much of the difference is employer contributions?
- Employer contributions are USD 9,938 in Spain and USD 5,669 in Portugal, a difference of USD 4,269. The rest comes from base salary and the lines that follow it.
- Which roles and levels can be compared?
- One combination is published in both countries: manual QA engineer, mid-level.
Sources
- Seguridad Social (TGSS). Bases y tipos de cotización 2026
- conversoriaecnae.es (reproduces D.A. 61ª TRLGSS, Cuadro I). Tarifas de cotización AT/EP - CNAE 62 Programación, consultoría y otras actividades relacionadas con la informática
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries. Spain - Individual - Other taxes
- Boletín Oficial del Estado. Real Decreto Legislativo 2/2015, texto refundido de la Ley del Estatuto de los Trabajadores
- Apple. Buy MacBook Air
- Apple. Buy MacBook Pro
- Testing tool list price (vendor not named)
- Testing tool list price (vendor not named)
- Linear. Linear pricing
- Manatal. Recruitment fees (agency fee guide)
- Apollo Technical. What is a placement fee for engineering hiring
- HeroHunt.ai. True Cost to Hire an AI Engineer in 2026
- European Central Bank. Euro foreign exchange reference rates
- ERI SalaryExpert. QA Engineer Salary in Portugal (2026) - ERI SalaryExpert
- Segurança Social. Trabalhadores por conta de outrem - seg-social.pt
- Diário da República. Código dos Regimes Contributivos do Sistema Previdencial de Segurança Social
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries. Portugal - Individual - Other taxes
- Procuradoria-Geral Regional de Lisboa (consolidated legislation). Código do Trabalho, Artigo 263.º Subsídio de Natal
- Procuradoria-Geral Regional de Lisboa (consolidated legislation). Código do Trabalho, Artigo 264.º Retribuição do período de férias e subsídio
Formula v1.0How each component is computed
version: 1.0
total_annual_cost =
base_salary
+ employer_contributions # statutory rates applied to base with caps; per country
+ mandatory_benefits # 13th or 14th salary, paid leave value above base, mandatory insurance; per country
+ voluntary_benefits # health, pension top-up, meal and transport; market survey medians per country and level; shown as a separate line
+ equipment_and_tooling # laptop amortised over 3 years, licences, test devices for mobile roles; per level and role
+ recruiting_cost_amortised # recruiting cost / expected tenure years; per country, role and model
+ onboarding_ramp # ramp_weeks x weekly cost x (1 - productivity_factor); per level
first_year_cost = total_annual_cost - recruiting_cost_amortised + recruiting_cost - onboarding_ramp_amortised + onboarding_ramp
monthly_cost = total_annual_cost / 12
hourly_equivalent = total_annual_cost / productive_hours
# Defaults (overridable per country in data with a source)
expected_tenure_years: 2.5
productive_hours: 1,700 per year, adjusted by statutory paid leave per country
ramp_weeks: junior 10, mid 6, senior 4
productivity_factor_during_ramp: 0.5
equipment_amortisation_years: 3
# Hiring models
employee: full formula
contractor: contractor_rate x hours + platform_or_eor_fee; no employer_contributions, no mandatory_benefits unless the EOR passes them through (sourced); recruiting as for employee; ramp as for employee
outsourced: published vendor monthly or hourly rate per role and region; no recruiting, no ramp, no equipment; show typical minimum engagement from sources
# Output per combination
p25, median, p75 for each component and for the totals, in local currency and USD at fx.json date; confidence grade; source ids; computedOnFormula v1.0
version: 1.0
total_annual_cost =
base_salary
+ employer_contributions # statutory rates applied to base with caps; per country
+ mandatory_benefits # 13th or 14th salary, paid leave value above base, mandatory insurance; per country
+ voluntary_benefits # health, pension top-up, meal and transport; market survey medians per country and level; shown as a separate line
+ equipment_and_tooling # laptop amortised over 3 years, licences, test devices for mobile roles; per level and role
+ recruiting_cost_amortised # recruiting cost / expected tenure years; per country, role and model
+ onboarding_ramp # ramp_weeks x weekly cost x (1 - productivity_factor); per level
first_year_cost = total_annual_cost - recruiting_cost_amortised + recruiting_cost - onboarding_ramp_amortised + onboarding_ramp
monthly_cost = total_annual_cost / 12
hourly_equivalent = total_annual_cost / productive_hours
# Defaults (overridable per country in data with a source)
expected_tenure_years: 2.5
productive_hours: 1,700 per year, adjusted by statutory paid leave per country
ramp_weeks: junior 10, mid 6, senior 4
productivity_factor_during_ramp: 0.5
equipment_amortisation_years: 3
# Hiring models
employee: full formula
contractor: contractor_rate x hours + platform_or_eor_fee; no employer_contributions, no mandatory_benefits unless the EOR passes them through (sourced); recruiting as for employee; ramp as for employee
outsourced: published vendor monthly or hourly rate per role and region; no recruiting, no ramp, no equipment; show typical minimum engagement from sources
# Output per combination
p25, median, p75 for each component and for the totals, in local currency and USD at fx.json date; confidence grade; source ids; computedOn