Middle East
Hire developers in the Middle East directly: test scores, salaries and a one-time 15% fee
To hire a developer in the Middle East directly, sign up on Arca.ph, have your AI assistant search and sort candidates by their proctored test scores, and pay a one-time 15% fee of first-year pay only if you hire. No monthly markup.
Software engineer pay in the Middle East, per month
The Middle East is not one pay market. The United Arab Emirates, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain publish different currencies, and this page leaves each figure in the currency of its source. Nothing here is converted to US dollars.
Every row is a PayScale average base salary. The month is one twelfth of the published annual figure, rounded to the nearest currency unit. The profile count is the number PayScale prints next to the average. The last-reviewed date is the date on that page. These PayScale pages were checked on 29 October 2026.
Qatar and Bahrain are the Software Engineer average. That label is the page's title. It is not a junior, mid, or senior rung. The United Arab Emirates and Israel have a mid-career row and a senior row. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait have a senior row.
United Arab Emirates
51 salary profiles. Last reviewed 11 September 2026. Checked 29 October 2026. PayScale.
Average base salary AED 168,000 a year for a Mid-Career Software Engineer in the United Arab Emirates. The monthly figure is one twelfth of that annual average, rounded to the nearest dirham.
118 salary profiles. Last reviewed 12 October 2026. Checked 29 October 2026. PayScale.
Average base salary AED 223,924 a year for a Senior Software Engineer in the United Arab Emirates. The monthly figure is one twelfth of that annual average, rounded to the nearest dirham.
Israel
36 salary profiles. Last reviewed 31 August 2026. Checked 29 October 2026. PayScale.
Average base salary ₪389,834 a year for a Mid-Career Software Engineer in Israel. The monthly figure is one twelfth of that annual average, rounded to the nearest shekel.
46 salary profiles. Last reviewed 26 June 2026. Checked 29 October 2026. PayScale.
Average base salary ₪422,121 a year for a Senior Software Engineer in Israel. The monthly figure is one twelfth of that annual average, rounded to the nearest shekel.
Egypt
89 salary profiles. Last reviewed 13 September 2026. Checked 29 October 2026. PayScale.
Average base salary E£ 208,353 a year for a Senior Software Engineer in Egypt. The monthly figure is one twelfth of that annual average, rounded to the nearest pound.
Saudi Arabia
57 salary profiles. Last reviewed 7 June 2026. Checked 29 October 2026. PayScale.
Average base salary SAR 179,848 a year for a Senior Software Engineer in Saudi Arabia. The monthly figure is one twelfth of that annual average, rounded to the nearest riyal.
Kuwait
21 salary profiles. Last reviewed 13 September 2025. Checked 29 October 2026. PayScale.
Average base salary KD 12,000 a year for a Senior Software Engineer in Kuwait. The monthly figure is one twelfth of that annual average, rounded to the nearest dinar.
Qatar
26 salary profiles. Last reviewed 4 May 2025. Checked 29 October 2026. PayScale.
Average base salary QAR 82,541 a year for a Software Engineer in Qatar. The monthly figure is one twelfth of that annual average, rounded to the nearest riyal.
Bahrain
17 salary profiles. Last reviewed 9 September 2025. Checked 29 October 2026. PayScale.
Average base salary BD 8,000 a year for a Software Engineer in Bahrain. The monthly figure is one twelfth of that annual average, rounded to the nearest dinar.
No reliable public figure was found for a junior software engineer in the United Arab Emirates. No reliable public figure was found for a junior software engineer in Israel. No reliable public figure was found for a junior software engineer in Saudi Arabia. No reliable public figure was found for a junior software engineer in Kuwait, Bahrain, or Qatar. No reliable public figure was found for a software engineer in Oman.
Egypt's mid-career average is higher than the senior average, so that row is left out. Egypt's junior page is not used: the percentile ends are not a coherent pound salary. Saudi Arabia's mid-career page is not used: the percentile ends are not a coherent riyal salary. Kuwait's unspecialized software-engineer page is not used: the percentile ends are not a coherent dinar salary.
No reliable public figure was found for a senior or mid-career software engineer in Qatar. No reliable public figure was found for a senior software engineer in Bahrain. Qatar's cited row and Bahrain's cited row keep the Software Engineer title. They are not renamed to junior, mid, or senior.
No reliable public figure was found for a software engineer in Jordan. Lebanon's PayScale pound amounts are not a coherent salary, so they are not cited. Pay by seniority, region, and hiring channel is on the remote developer rate index.
Working hours against US Eastern and Pacific time
The Middle East is not one time zone, and several countries do not change their clocks. The United Arab Emirates and Oman are UTC+4 all year. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan are UTC+3 all year. Jordan stopped changing clocks on 28 October 2022 and has stayed on UTC+3.
When it is 9:00 a.m. in New York during Eastern Standard Time, it is 6:00 p.m. in Dubai and 5:00 p.m. in Riyadh. During Eastern Daylight Time, that New York morning is 5:00 p.m. in Dubai and 4:00 p.m. in Riyadh. When it is 9:00 a.m. in Los Angeles during Pacific Standard Time, it is 9:00 p.m. in Dubai and 8:00 p.m. in Riyadh. During Pacific Daylight Time, it is 8:00 p.m. in Dubai and 7:00 p.m. in Riyadh. Doha, Kuwait City, Manama, and Amman match Riyadh. Muscat matches Dubai.
Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon do change clocks. Standard time in each is UTC+2. Daylight time is UTC+3. Egypt moves forward on the last Friday of April and back on the last Thursday of October, under its 2023 daylight-saving law. In 2026 that run was 24 April to 30 October. Israel daylight time in 2026 ran from 27 March to 25 October. Lebanon daylight time runs from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October. In 2026 that was 29 March to 25 October.
When New York and Cairo are both on standard time, or both on daylight time, 9:00 a.m. in New York is 4:00 p.m. in Cairo. The same pair holds for Tel Aviv and for Beirut. In the weeks when the United States has changed clocks and Egypt, Israel, or Lebanon has not, that New York morning is 3:00 p.m. locally. When Los Angeles and those cities are both on standard time, or both on daylight time, 9:00 a.m. in Los Angeles is 7:00 p.m. locally, and 6:00 p.m. in those shoulder weeks.
Every profile shows the hours that developer can work. The clocks above are the country offsets, not a promise that a person works a US night shift.
Where the work is based
Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the United Arab Emirates cities named here. They share UTC+4 with Muscat. Riyadh and Jeddah share UTC+3 with Doha, Kuwait City, Manama, and Amman. Cairo, Tel Aviv, and Beirut are not on that Gulf clock.
This hub names those countries. It does not link to a separate page for each one. The salary tables above are national PayScale averages, not a separate figure for each city.
English on a profile is what the engineer reports. A proctored English test is separate: a real person watches. Arca.ph does not publish an English-proficiency score for a country.
15% once vs a monthly markup
Dirhams, shekels, pounds, and riyals stay in the salary tables. The fee example is in US dollars because the marketplace fee uses the expected compensation you and the developer agree.
Profiles are free to view. On the marketplace, a hire costs a one-time 15% fee of first-year pay. Expected compensation of $3,000 a month is $36,000 of first-year pay. 15% of $36,000 is $5,400, paid once, and only if you hire someone Arca.ph introduced. There is a 3-month free replacement. A monthly markup is billed for as long as the person works. No markup rate is printed here.
How you'll hire
Hiring developers in the Middle East starts from the profile, including the hours line, because UTC+2, UTC+3, and UTC+4 do not share one workday, and Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon change clocks.
- Sign up. Every profile shows what the engineer has shared, including tests and scores already on the profile.
- Your AI assistant searches and sorts. Grok Bot can do that through MCP. Claude and ChatGPT can search the same profiles. Arca.ph does not shortlist.
- You interview the developers you want to meet. An introduction is when the developer says yes.
- You hire. On the marketplace, the fee is a one-time 15% fee of first-year pay, with a 3-month free replacement.
- A contractor engagement, or an employer of record you arrange, are options. On the marketplace, Arca.ph does not employ the developer.
What's on every profile, and proof you can ask for
What's on every profile. The resume, expected compensation, the English level they report, the hours they can work, and screening answers.
Proof you can ask for is proctored tests a real person watches: an English test, a thinking-skills test, and a coding test with no AI allowed. Proctored tests lists the full set.
Related pages
Also see Asia, Latin America, proctored tests, pricing, and the remote developer rate index.
Questions about hiring developers in the Middle East
How do I hire developers in the Middle East?
Sign up on Arca.ph. Your AI assistant searches and sorts candidates. You interview, then you hire. On the marketplace, the fee is a one-time 15% fee of first-year pay only if you hire. There is no monthly markup. Arca.ph does not shortlist. If Arca.ph introduces you to a developer you were already talking with, there is no fee.
What do proctored tests cover?
You can ask for a coding test with no AI allowed, a 2-hour build project with AI allowed, the Fire Drill (live pair-programming on a real-world problem), an English test, a thinking-skills test, and a typing test, plus recorded reference checks. A real person watches. Scores already on the profile stay on the profile.
Do developers in the Middle East share a clock with the US?
No. The United Arab Emirates and Oman are UTC+4 all year. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan are UTC+3 all year. Egypt, Israel, and Lebanon are UTC+2 in standard time and UTC+3 in daylight time, and their change dates are not the same week. A US Eastern morning falls in the afternoon or evening. Each profile shows the hours that person can work.
What does PayScale report for software engineers in the United Arab Emirates?
PayScale's average base salary is AED 168,000 a year for a Mid-Career Software Engineer, which is AED 14,000 a month, from 51 salary profiles, last reviewed 11 September 2026. A Senior Software Engineer averages AED 223,924 a year, which is AED 18,660 a month, from 118 salary profiles, last reviewed 12 October 2026. These pages were checked on 29 October 2026. No reliable public figure was found for a junior software engineer in the United Arab Emirates.
What does PayScale report for software engineers in Israel?
PayScale's average base salary is ₪389,834 a year for a Mid-Career Software Engineer, which is ₪32,486 a month, from 36 salary profiles, last reviewed 31 August 2026. A Senior Software Engineer averages ₪422,121 a year, which is ₪35,177 a month, from 46 salary profiles, last reviewed 26 June 2026. These pages were checked on 29 October 2026. No reliable public figure was found for a junior software engineer in Israel.
What does PayScale report for senior software engineers in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait?
PayScale's average base salary for a Senior Software Engineer is E£ 208,353 a year in Egypt, which is E£ 17,363 a month, from 89 salary profiles, last reviewed 13 September 2026. In Saudi Arabia it is SAR 179,848 a year, which is SAR 14,987 a month, from 57 salary profiles, last reviewed 7 June 2026. In Kuwait it is KD 12,000 a year, which is KD 1,000 a month, from 21 salary profiles, last reviewed 13 September 2025. These pages were checked on 29 October 2026. Egypt's mid-career average is higher than the senior average, so that row is left out. No reliable public figure was found for a junior software engineer in Saudi Arabia or Kuwait.
What does PayScale report for software engineers in Qatar and Bahrain?
PayScale's average base salary for a Software Engineer is QAR 82,541 a year in Qatar, which is QAR 6,878 a month, from 26 salary profiles, last reviewed 4 May 2025. In Bahrain it is BD 8,000 a year, which is BD 667 a month, from 17 salary profiles, last reviewed 9 September 2025. These pages were checked on 29 October 2026. Those titles are not a junior, mid, or senior ladder. No reliable public figure was found for a senior or mid-career software engineer in Qatar, or for a senior software engineer in Bahrain.
What is the one-time 15% fee if expected compensation is $3,000 a month?
On the marketplace, a hire costs a one-time 15% fee of first-year pay, and only if you hire someone Arca.ph introduced. Expected compensation of $3,000 a month is $36,000 of first-year pay, so the fee is $5,400, paid once. There is no monthly markup. There is a 3-month free replacement. If Arca.ph introduces you to a developer you were already talking with, there is no fee.
Done-for-you is an option at 35% of first-year pay on hire. Pricing has the marketplace fee.
Hire developers in the Middle East directly.
Profiles are free to view.