Cost comparison
What an IT team costs in the UAE, India and Uzbekistan.
The short answer: a team in India or Uzbekistan usually costs less than the same team in the UAE, mostly because of salaries, visas and allowances. How much less depends on the roles, their seniority and the shifts you need. Here is what drives the number, with the statutory facts sourced.
Cost drivers
Eight things that decide the cost.
Salaries
The biggest line. UAE salaries for IT staff are typically well above those in India and Uzbekistan, because most staff are expatriates and the cost of living is high. Within India, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune cost more than smaller cities. In Uzbekistan, Tashkent is the main market.
Employer contributions and taxes
Each country adds different statutory costs on top of salary: end-of-service gratuity in the UAE, provident fund in India, and reduced taxes for IT Park residents in Uzbekistan. See the table below.
Visas and relocation
In the UAE most IT staff need an employer-sponsored visa, plus medical insurance and often flight and housing allowances. Hiring locally in India or Uzbekistan avoids most of this.
Workspace
Office rent per seat varies widely by city. A secure workspace for a dedicated team also needs access control, a separate network and sometimes a clean-desk area.
Equipment, licences and security
Laptops, Microsoft licences, endpoint protection and monitoring cost roughly the same everywhere. They become a larger share of the total where salaries are lower.
Shifts
A seat covered 24x7 needs about five people once leave and sickness are counted, plus night allowances. Shift needs often matter more than location.
Attrition and hiring
Replacing a person costs recruitment time, training and lost output. Large, competitive talent markets have more candidates, but also more people leaving.
Management
Someone has to run the team: delivery management, HR, payroll and reporting. In a Global Capability Centre run by a partner, this is part of the monthly price.
Side by side
Statutory costs and rules.
A summary, not tax advice. Rules change; check the sources and your own advisers.
| UAE | India | Uzbekistan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal income tax on salaries | None for individuals | Payable by employee under Indian income tax slabs | Fixed 7.5% for employees of IT Park residents |
| Employer retirement contributions | End-of-service gratuity for expatriate staff (21 days’ basic pay per year for the first 5 years, 30 days after) | Employer contributes 12% of basic wages to the Employees’ Provident Fund scheme | IT Park residents are exempt from most taxes and mandatory contributions, including social tax |
| Corporate tax | 9% on taxable profit above AED 375,000 | Applies to the Indian employing company | IT Park residents exempt on qualifying activity |
| Time difference to UAE | — | +1.5 hours | +1 hour |
Sources
- UAE Ministry of Finance: Corporate Tax
- UAE Government portal: jobs and workplace regulations (end-of-service benefits under the UAE Labour Law)
- OECD, Pensions at a Glance Asia/Pacific 2024: India
- IT Park Uzbekistan: how and why become a resident
- Embassy of Uzbekistan: incentives for IT services
Checked 19/10/2026. The Uzbek 7.5% rate applies to salaries received before 1 January 2028 under the current IT Park rules.
What we do
A fixed, all-in price per person per month.
Missan has companies in India and Uzbekistan that can employ a dedicated team for you. Our price is per person per month, all-in: salary, employer costs, workspace, equipment, IT, security and management.
We give a fixed quote after a scoping call. Read how the model works on our Global Capability Centre page, or the Build–Operate–Transfer guide.
Questions
Offshore team cost: common questions.
Is an IT team in India or Uzbekistan cheaper than in the UAE?
Usually, yes, mainly because of salaries, visas and allowances. The saving depends on the roles and seniority: equipment, licences and security tools cost about the same everywhere, so they take a bigger share of the total offshore.
Why don’t you publish salary figures?
Salary surveys vary a lot by source, role and city, and we did not want to publish numbers we cannot stand behind. We give a fixed, all-in quote per person per month after a scoping call, based on the actual roles.
India or Uzbekistan: which costs less?
It depends on the role and on what you count. Uzbekistan has strong tax incentives for IT Park residents. India has a much larger talent pool, which makes senior and specialist roles easier to fill. We compare both for your roles before you decide.
What should an all-in price include?
Salary, statutory employer costs, workspace, equipment, licences, security tooling, HR, payroll and management. Ask for a written list of anything excluded.
Get a quote for your roles
List the roles, rough headcount and hours. We reply within one business day.
Find out where your IT stands.
The free IT health check (AED 1,800 value) is a one-session review of your support, security, Microsoft 365 and backups. You get a written list of what to fix first.