The Typical AI Team Composition
A functional AI team for most companies includes: one senior ML engineer or AI architect, two mid-level AI engineers, one MLOps engineer, and one data engineer or analyst. This five-person unit can handle most AI initiatives from prototype through production deployment.
US-Based Team Cost
Hiring this team in the US costs approximately: AI architect at $220K, two AI engineers at $170K each, MLOps engineer at $165K, and data engineer at $150K. That's $875K in base salary alone. Add benefits (20-25%), payroll taxes, equity, and recruiting costs (typically 20-25% of first-year salary per hire), and the fully loaded annual cost exceeds $1.2M.
Recruiting Timeline
Filling these five positions in the US takes 4-8 months on average. Senior AI talent often requires 3+ months of recruiting per role. During this time, your AI initiatives are stalled or understaffed.
Latin America Team Cost
The same team hired through Latin America costs approximately: AI architect at $8,000/month ($96K/year), two AI engineers at $6,000/month each ($144K total), MLOps engineer at $6,500/month ($78K/year), and data engineer at $5,000/month ($60K/year). Total annual salary: $378K. Add EOR costs, equipment stipends, and South's placement fee, and the fully loaded cost sits around $450K-$500K annually.
Recruiting Timeline
South typically presents qualified candidates within 1-2 weeks. Most companies have their full team operational within 4-6 weeks — 3-5 months faster than US hiring.
The Savings Math
Annual savings: $700K-$750K. Over three years, that's over $2M in reduced labor costs. These aren't theoretical numbers — they reflect actual client outcomes at South. The savings can fund additional AI initiatives, better tooling, or more aggressive product timelines.
Quality Considerations
Cost savings mean nothing if quality drops. South's vetting process ensures LatAm candidates match the technical bar you'd set for US hires. Our acceptance rate is under 5% of applicants. Candidates are tested on real-world AI engineering problems, English fluency, and remote work readiness.
When US Hiring Still Makes Sense
Keep your AI team lead or architect US-based if they need to be in leadership meetings, interface with customers, or navigate internal politics. For execution-focused engineering roles, LatAm talent delivers equivalent output at a fraction of the cost.
