Rates, 2026
What should a web developer charge in a major city?
About $975 a day for a web developer who is working and booked in a major city like Chicago, Atlanta, Miami or Austin. $700 in the first years, $1,250 when senior. A website build runs about $10,000. Also called: front-end, javascript, react, next.js.
Other markets: New York or LA · remote · a smaller market
First years
$700
a day · $90 an hour
Working, booked
$975
a day · $125 an hour
Senior, sought after
$1,250
a day · $150 an hour
The rate card, working level
- Day rate$975 per day
- Hourlyfor anything that does not fit a day$125 per hour
- A website build$10,000 per project
- Monthly retainera block of days a month, bugs, features, the site watched$8,000 per month
Sold a project fee, by the day, a monthly retainer, by the hour. The outcome is the unit; the day rate is for when a client wants your time instead.
What to charge for each thing
Ranges for a major city like Chicago, Atlanta, Miami or Austin: the low end is the first years, the high end is senior. Working and booked sits in the middle.
- Landing page, built$1,275 to $4,250 each
- WordPress site$2,550 to $8,500 each
- Custom web app$8,500 to $42,500 each
- Bug fix or small change$125 to $425 each
- Monthly maintenance$250 to $1,275 per month
How the number is made
Web developers at this level in this market day at about $975 ($700 to $1,600 in New York and LA). Put in the year you actually want on the perfect price page and the number moves with it.
A website build runs $3,000 to $20,000 and takes about 80 hours of your time; at your hourly that is $10,000. The number is the higher of the two, because the client is buying the outcome, not the hours.
A retainer is the month, not the hours: a block of days a month, bugs, features, the site watched. It is priced about 20% under the same work bought one at a time, in exchange for the certainty; three months minimum, or it is not a retainer.
Questions
- What is a fair day rate for a web developer in a major city like Chicago, Atlanta, Miami or Austin?
- About $975 a day for someone working and booked, $700 in the first years, $1,250 when senior and sought after. Half days usually run 60% of the day.
- How much is a website build?
- $10,000 at a working level in this market. The client is buying the outcome, so the price is the higher of what the market pays for it and what your hours in it are worth.
- What does a monthly retainer look like for a web developer?
- Around $8,000 a month: a block of days a month, bugs, features, the site watched. About 20% under the same work bought one piece at a time, in exchange for certainty; three months minimum.
- Are these rates a rule?
- No. They are US 2026 ranges for the role, placed by level and moved for the market. What a client actually paid you beats all of it. The tool has a box for that, and it wins.
Your number, in five seconds.
Pick your level and market, get a card you can send the next client who asks. Then RostrLab quotes, papers, invoices and chases every job with it: free for 14 days, $29 a month, never a cut.
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