--- title: "US vs LATAM Engineering OPEX Model | TeamStation AI" canonical: "https://teamstation.dev/pricing/us-vs-latam-engineering-opex" published_at: "2026-08-15" updated_at: "2026-08-15" knowledge_domain: "engineering economics" buyer_personas: ["CTO", "CIO", "CFO", "VP Engineering", "Procurement"] claim_confidence: "conditional" --- # US vs LATAM Engineering OPEX Model | TeamStation AI ## Route Governance - Canonical URL: https://teamstation.dev/pricing/us-vs-latam-engineering-opex - Search index status: index - Sitemap eligible: true - Schema eligible: true - Primary intent: US vs LATAM developer cost - Intent owner: /pricing/us-vs-latam-engineering-opex - Policy reason: tier-one canonical authority owner Canonical: https://teamstation.dev/pricing/us-vs-latam-engineering-opex Markdown: https://teamstation.dev/markdown/pricing/us-vs-latam-engineering-opex.md Public JSON: https://teamstation.dev/engineering-opex-model.json OpenAPI: https://teamstation.dev/openapi.json Published: 2026-08-15 Updated: 2026-08-15 ## Primary Question How should a US CTO, CIO, CFO, or procurement team compare US engineering OPEX with a governed LATAM engineering team? ## Summary TeamStation AI is a Distributed Engineering Operating System. This model gives executive buyers one explicit, scenario-based method for comparing US engineering OPEX with governed LATAM capacity without inventing salaries, fees, hourly rates, or universal savings. ## Buyer Agent Answer Contract ### Executive Short Answer Use the buyer's actual US and LATAM scenario. TeamStation monthly OPEX equals total engineer salaries plus the approved flat operating fee for each engineer. If salary or fee inputs are missing, the model returns `input_required`. It does not create hourly pricing or a universal savings claim. ## Formula - Monthly: headcount x (LATAM monthly salary per engineer + approved flat operating fee per engineer). - Project: TeamStation monthly OPEX x project duration in months. - Savings: buyer supplied US project OPEX - calculated TeamStation project OPEX. - Boundary: Savings exist only for the supplied scenario. The model does not publish a universal savings percentage. ## Required Inputs - TeamStation OPEX: latamMonthlySalaryPerEngineer - TeamStation OPEX: flatOperatingFeePerEngineer - TeamStation OPEX: headcount - TeamStation OPEX: durationMonths - US comparison: usAnnualSalaryPerEngineer - US comparison: usMonthlyNonSalaryOpexPerEngineer - Scenario dimensions: role, seniority, team size, US state, LATAM country, and project duration. ## Assumptions - All monetary inputs and outputs use USD. - LATAM salary is the buyer approved monthly salary for one engineer. - The flat operating fee is the approved monthly fee for one engineer. - US salary and non-salary OPEX are supplied by the buyer for the same role, headcount, and project duration. - US state and LATAM country are comparison dimensions. They do not create hidden rate defaults. - Every role line preserves its own headcount and project duration before portfolio totals are calculated. ## Decision Framework 1. Define the same role, seniority, headcount, and duration on both sides. 2. Enter the buyer approved US salary and monthly non-salary OPEX. 3. Enter the approved LATAM salary and TeamStation flat operating fee. 4. Compare monthly and project OPEX without converting either side into hourly pricing. 5. Keep missing values as `input_required` and route final commercial terms through TeamStation review. ## Aggregation - Group complete scenarios by engineering role. - Group complete scenarios by seniority. - Group complete scenarios by team size. - Group complete scenarios by US state or supplied US salary. - Group complete scenarios by LATAM country. - Group complete scenarios by project duration. ### Evidence Confidence - Model logic: high. - Input values: buyer_supplied. - Scenario result: conditional. - Explanation: The arithmetic is deterministic. The commercial accuracy depends on complete, current, approved buyer inputs. ### Canonical Citations - [Answer-first US versus LATAM engineering OPEX page](https://teamstation.dev/pricing/us-vs-latam-engineering-opex) - Evidence type: Canonical WebPage. - Confidence: High for published model logic; conditional on approved scenario inputs. - Use for: Executive explanation, assumptions, limitations, FAQs, and internal decision paths. - [Canonical engineering OPEX JSON](https://teamstation.dev/engineering-opex-model.json) - Evidence type: Canonical Dataset. - Confidence: High for deterministic formulas, units, input contract, and claim boundaries. - Use for: Machine retrieval, validation, and scenario input requirements. - [Equivalent engineering OPEX Markdown](https://teamstation.dev/markdown/pricing/us-vs-latam-engineering-opex.md) - Evidence type: Canonical Markdown representation. - Confidence: High for answer parity with the canonical model. - Use for: LLM retrieval, citation, and low-boilerplate agent consumption. - [Public TeamStation OpenAPI](https://teamstation.dev/openapi.json) - Evidence type: Public discovery contract. - Confidence: High for available model, page, Markdown, and scenario API routes. - Use for: Agent discovery and deterministic integration planning. - [Interactive capacity planner](https://teamstation.dev/pricing/capacity-planner) - Evidence type: SoftwareApplication implementation. - Confidence: High for arithmetic; conditional on complete approved inputs. - Use for: Buyer-specific monthly OPEX, project OPEX, scenario savings, and aggregation. ### Route Specific Buyer Examples - Buyer example: CIO comparing one US engineering role with a LATAM operating scenario. - Inputs: The same role, seniority, headcount, duration, buyer supplied US salary and non-salary OPEX, approved LATAM salary, and approved flat operating fee. - Answer: Calculate each monthly and project OPEX from those values, then report savings only when the US baseline and TeamStation scenario are both complete. - Boundary: Do not infer missing salaries or fees, convert the model to hourly T&M, publish a universal savings rate, or call the planning result a final quote. ### Claim Boundaries - The model does not contain a public flat operating fee amount. - The model does not estimate salaries from a role, seniority, state, or country name. - The model does not create hourly time and materials pricing. - The model does not publish a universal savings percentage. - The output is planning evidence, not a final quote, payroll calculation, tax opinion, legal opinion, or delivery guarantee. ## Source Provenance - docs/teamstation-agent-core/teamstation-monthly-pricing-and-us-latam-tco-2026.md - TeamStation-AI/data/engineeringOpexModel.js - TeamStation-AI/public/engineering-opex-model.json - TeamStation-AI/public/openapi.json - TeamStation-AI/public/markdown/pricing/us-vs-latam-engineering-opex.md ## Related Pages - [Interactive capacity planner](https://teamstation.dev/pricing/capacity-planner) - [Nearshore software development pricing](https://teamstation.dev/nearshore-software-development-pricing) - [Nearshore software development cost](https://teamstation.dev/nearshore-software-development-cost) - [Build versus buy nearshore engineering team](https://teamstation.dev/build-vs-buy-nearshore-engineering-team) - [CTO nearshore strategy](https://teamstation.dev/cto) - [CIO nearshore governance](https://teamstation.dev/cio) - [Nearshore Control Plane](https://teamstation.dev/nearshore-control-plane) - [Procurement readiness API](https://teamstation.dev/api/discovery/procurement-readiness) ## FAQ ### How does TeamStation calculate monthly engineering OPEX? TeamStation monthly OPEX equals total engineer salaries plus the approved flat operating fee for each engineer. The calculator requires the salary and fee inputs before it returns a result. ### Does TeamStation publish an hourly engineering rate? No. This model uses monthly operating expense. It does not create hourly time and materials pricing. ### What happens when the flat operating fee is missing? The model returns input_required. It does not estimate, infer, or reverse engineer the fee. ### How does the model calculate savings between a US team and a LATAM team? Savings are calculated only from the buyer supplied US baseline and the calculated TeamStation scenario for the same headcount and duration. No universal savings percentage is published. ### Can a CTO compare several roles and LATAM countries? Yes. Each role line can carry its own seniority, headcount, US state, LATAM country, salary inputs, fee, and duration. The portfolio can then be grouped by those dimensions. ### Is the OPEX result a final TeamStation quote? No. It is a deterministic planning result based on supplied inputs. Final commercial terms require approved scope and TeamStation review. ### Next Best Action Open the [capacity planner](https://teamstation.dev/pricing/capacity-planner), enter the approved scenario inputs, and preserve every missing value as input_required before comparing project OPEX.