Freelancer Payment Cost Index (FPCI)
What it really costs to get paid as a freelancer across emerging markets — measured, not guessed.
Updated 2026-06-30 · FX as of Tue, 30 Jun 2026 · Basis: USD 1,000 received · License: CC BY 4.0
In Bangladesh, a freelancer loses $76.50 of every $1,000 received in international payments — about 4.6× more than in Philippines (the cheapest market at $16.70).
The index — cost of getting paid, by market
| # | Country | Inbound cost | Lost / $1,000 | Take-home / $1,000 | Local take-home |
|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh | 7.65% | $76.50 | $923.50 | 113,715 BDT |
| 2 | Nigeria | 4.64% | $46.40 | $953.60 | 1,312,747 NGN |
| 3 | Mexico | 2.65% | $26.50 | $973.50 | 17,020 MXN |
| 4 | Indonesia | 2.44% | $24.40 | $975.60 | 17,407,039 IDR |
| 5 | Brazil | 2.42% | $24.20 | $975.80 | 5,046 BRL |
| 6 | Pakistan | 2.14% | $21.40 | $978.60 | 272,060 PKR |
| 7 | India | 1.76% | $17.60 | $982.40 | 92,937 INR |
| 8 | Philippines | 1.67% | $16.70 | $983.30 | 60,184 PHP |
Inbound cost = average cost of receiving an international transfer (World Bank, SI.RMT.COST.IB.ZS, latest year available). Local take-home converts the post-cost USD at live exchange rates.
Key findings
- Bangladesh is the most expensive market to get paid in: 7.65% lost on inbound payments.
- Philippines is the cheapest at 1.67% — getting paid there is roughly 4.6× cheaper.
- Across these markets, the gap between the best and worst corridor is the difference between keeping $983.30 and $923.50 on a $1,000 invoice.
- Using a low-cost provider (e.g. Wise/Payoneer) instead of a bank can move a freelancer toward the cheaper end of this range.
Calculate your own take-home
Use the free
FPCI take-home calculator — enter an amount and country to see what you keep.
Embed it free on your own site:
<iframe src="https://earnfromnigeria.com/fpci/calculator/" width="100%" height="420" style="border:1px solid #ddd;border-radius:12px" loading="lazy" title="Freelancer Payment Cost Calculator"></iframe>
Methodology
The FPCI combines two public data sources, recomputed on each update:
- Remittance cost — World Bank indicator
SI.RMT.COST.IB.ZS (average cost, as % of amount, of receiving a $200-equivalent remittance), latest year per country. Outbound (.OB.ZS) is tracked for reference.
- Exchange rates — live USD rates from open.er-api.com (Exchange Rate API), captured at build time (Tue, 30 Jun 2026).
- Basis — a USD 1,000 inbound payment. "Lost" = cost % × 1,000. "Take-home" = 1,000 − lost. Local take-home = take-home × live FX.
The index is a transparent, reproducible model, not a quote from any single provider. Real provider fees vary by amount, method and corridor.
Sources
- World Bank — Remittance Prices Worldwide / World Development Indicators: SI.RMT.COST.IB.ZS
- Exchange rates — open.er-api.com (Exchange Rate API)
Cite or reuse this data
Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0). Suggested citation:
Emerging Markets Media. "Freelancer Payment Cost Index (FPCI)." 2026-06-30.
Data: World Bank (SI.RMT.COST.IB.ZS). https://earnfromnigeria.com/fpci/
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