I have noticed on this sub how much more experienced developers always speak negatively against developers who charge cheap for their services. I do not think they really understand the situation outside their countries, wont mention regions as that is not the point of my post.
So I will explain from my own personal perspective. For context I am based in South Africa. I normally charge an equivalent of between $300 – $600. While it seems little to most this is enought to actually eck out a decent living doing this. My rent is around $312, interrnet bill is $30, Food is around $300 per month. These are my basic epenses monthly. Now back to the point I was trying to make.
I could easily charge more, but in my region, this pricing allows me to live comfortably while providing my services to clients. Developers who charge higher rates might not understand the cost of living and market dynamics in other parts of the world. Just because we charge less doesn’t mean we compromise on quality
We don't make much from maintenance work over here, and that's just how the market is. It's not about competition or undercutting others—it's about what works for our market. Yet, whenever someone mentions working with a 'cheap developer,' there's always this advice to 'run far away.' I think that's unfair because being affordable doesn't mean we're unprofessional or unreliable. We still get the job done with the same level of skill and commitment as developers who charge more in higher-income regions
it is just the fear of losing your job to cheaper employee. nothing more. I see it so often or reddit that it became boring
If the person can communicate in English well, the result of a $300 website would probably be the same as a $2k from someone from the states.
But gotta cut them some slack if they decided to use nulled themes and plugins because of budget reasons
Cheap isn’t bad for the client, only for the competition. 😉