Cost & hiring
What an offshore SDR really costs
Most cost comparisons stop at the hourly rate. The number that actually decides this is how many hours the role needs - and who absorbs the management.
Short answer: offshore SDR rates run roughly $10-25/hr depending on seniority and whether anyone is supervising the work. At $15/hr and the 50-70 hours a month the role genuinely requires, that's $750-1,050/mo - against about $7,500/mo for a fully loaded US in-house SDR.
The four costs people forget
A salary figure is the smallest part of an SDR's real cost. Before comparing anything, add:
- Loaded employment cost - payroll tax, benefits, equipment and severance typically add 25-40% on top of base salary.
- Tooling - data and enrichment, verification, sending infrastructure and sequencing software. Budget $300-800/mo before anyone sends an email.
- Ramp - 6-10 weeks to source, interview and onboard, then more before the pipeline is real. You pay full freight throughout.
- Your management hours - the one nobody prices. Coaching, reviewing sequences and QA'ing replies is a genuine weekly commitment, and it comes out of the most expensive calendar in the company.
Then add churn. SDR turnover regularly exceeds 30% a year, which means paying the recruiting and ramp cost again - often before the first hire has repaid it.
Why 50-70 hours a month is the real number
The productive core of an SDR role - building and enriching the list, writing and adjusting sequences, handling replies, qualifying interest and keeping the CRM honest - compresses into roughly 12-16 hours a week once the systems exist. The rest of a full-time week is meetings, waiting and admin.
A salary buys 160 hours a month whether the work needs them or not. A fixed retainer does the same thing with extra steps. Hourly billing is the only model where a quiet month costs less than a busy one.
Four ways to buy the same function
| US in-house | Freelance platform | Fixed-retainer agency | Managed offshore pod | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | ~$7,500 loaded | $2,000-4,000 | $1,500-2,500 | $750-1,050 |
| You pay for | Full salary | Quoted projects | Fixed retainer | Only hours worked |
| Time to productive | 6-10 weeks | Days, unmanaged | 2-4 weeks | 7 days |
| Tools & data | You buy them | Not included | Bundled, not portable | Included |
| Who manages quality | You | Nobody | The agency | The provider |
| Who owns the account | You | You | Often the agency | You |
| If they leave | Restart hiring | Start over | Sometimes covered | Free swap from bench |
The cheap option that isn't
Hiring offshore on a freelance platform looks like the value play: you can find someone at $8/hr. What you've actually bought is the cost profile of offshore plus a second job. You become the manager, the trainer and the QA layer, quality is unverifiable until something breaks, and a single resignation stops the pipeline cold with no bench behind it.
The distinction that matters isn't onshore vs offshore. It's supervised vs unsupervised - whether anyone other than you is accountable for the output after the hire. That's the difference between a managed service and a staffing placement.
A fair comparison checklist. Before you sign anything, price all six: hourly or monthly rate, tooling and data, ramp time, your own management hours, replacement cost if it fails, and who keeps the account and playbooks when the engagement ends.
FAQ
How much does an offshore SDR cost?
$10-25/hr depending on seniority and supervision. At $15/hr and 50-70 hours a month, $750-1,050/mo.
Is that cheaper than an appointment-setting agency?
Usually - retainers run $1,500-2,500/mo and bill the same whether they produce or not. You also keep the account, data and playbooks.
What's the catch with the low hourly rates?
Below about $12/hr you are almost always buying unsupervised freelance labour. The rate excludes the management, QA and replacement cover that make the arrangement survive contact with reality.
How fast can an offshore SDR start?
A managed pod can be live in about 7 days. A local hire takes 6-10 weeks.
Want the maths run on your role?
Book a 30-minute discovery call. We'll map the role, show you matched rep profiles, and have your pod live within 7 days.