Hire AI Engineers in Medellin vs Buenos Aires

When you want to hire AI engineers, choosing the right location can make all the difference. Latin America has become a hub for AI talent, with cities like Medellin and Buenos Aires, emerging as top choices.

Both cities offer skilled professionals, competitive costs, and thriving tech ecosystems, but each has unique advantages. In this blog, we'll compare Medellin and Buenos Aires across key factors to help you determine the best location to hire AI engineers for your team.

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Hire AI Engineers in Medellin vs Buenos Aires

Medellin and Buenos Aires have established themselves as two of the most important technology centers in Latin America, and both cities offer competitive advantages. In the following chart, we compare these two destinations based on five key factors: cost, time zone alignment, English proficiency, technological growth, and educational infrastructure.

To make an informed decision, it is key to analyze five key aspects: cost, time zone alignment, English proficiency, technology growth, and educational infrastructure. Below, we will explore each of these factors and how they influence the hiring of AI engineers in these two cities.

Cost Considerations

When you hire AI engineers, cost is one of the most critical factors to consider. Both cities offer highly skilled professionals at competitive rates compared to North America. Below we compare the cost considerations for hiring AI engineers in Medellin and Buenos Aires.

Medellin: Budget is always a crucial factor. In Medellin, salaries for mid-level AI Engineers typically range from $2,500 to $4,000 per month.

Buenos Aires: Buenos Aires offers a slight cost advantage, with average salaries between $2,250 and $3,000 per month for similar roles.

Time Zone Alignment

Time zone differences can affect collaboration, especially for teams working remotely. Choosing a location that aligns well with your work schedule can improve efficiency and reduce delays.

Medellin: Medellin follows U.S. Eastern Standard Time (EST) for most of the year, which means no time difference with Miami and a three-hour time difference with San Francisco (PST). It is an excellent choice for East Coast companies while maintaining reasonable overlap with West Coast teams.

Buenos Aires: Operates two hours ahead of EST during U.S. Standard Time and one hour ahead during Daylight Saving Time (EDT). For companies on the West Coast (San Francisco, PST), Buenos Aires is five hours ahead during Standard Time and four hours ahead during Daylight Saving Time.

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Time Zone Alignment — Source: https://www.timeanddate.com/time/map/#!cities=150,51,156,224

English Proficiency

Effective communication is critical when looking to hire AI engineers. Both Medellin and Buenos Aires have a growing number of professionals who are fluent in English, but there are notable differences in overall levels of proficiency.

Medellin: Colombia ranks 74th out of 116 countries on the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI), with an overall score of 485. Medellin is slightly above the national average with a score of 509, but still lags behind many other Latin American technology centres. Within Latin America, Colombia ranks 17th out of 21 countries.

Buenos Aires: Argentina, on the other hand, ranks 28th in the world for English proficiency, with an EF EPI score of 562. Buenos Aires outperforms the national average with a score of 566, making it one of the best cities in the region for English-speaking professionals. Argentina ranks second in Latin America, meaning that hiring AI engineers in Buenos Aires could result in smoother communication and fewer language barriers.

Technological growth

Medellin and Buenos Aires have become two of the most important technology hubs in Latin America, attracting talent, investment and innovative companies. Both cities have ecosystems that are driving the development of digital industries and artificial intelligence.

Medellin: The city has established itself as the third largest and fastest growing tech talent hub in Latin America, with more than 100,000 highly skilled engineers. Andrew Ng, founder of Google Brain, chose Medellin to open a second office for his AI projects. His initiatives aim to promote the adoption of AI in business and technology education. Ng evaluated several cities in Europe, Asia and Latin America before choosing Medellin, highlighting its growing startup ecosystem supported by incubators such as Ruta N.

Buenos Aires: More than 500 startups have been identified in Argentina, more than half of which are located in Buenos Aires. As of September 2024, the capital and its metropolitan area were home to 345 startups.

Argentina's digital economy has been growing steadily, driven by a tech-savvy population and a strong entrepreneurial spirit, especially in Buenos Aires, which is often considered the Silicon Valley of South America. As a result, twelve Argentine technology companies have achieved unicorn status.

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Educational Infrastructure

A strong educational foundation directly influences the quality of AI talent available in a city. Both Medellin and Buenos Aires have reputable universities that produce qualified engineers, but there are differences in their rankings and areas of interest.

Medellin: Medellin is home to prestigious institutions such as University of Antioquia, ranked 791-800, and University EAFIT, ranked 901-950, both known for their engineering and computer science programs.

Universidad de Antioquia is one of the oldest and most respected public universities in Colombia and remains one of the top institutions in the country. University EAFIT, a private institution, is known for its strong focus on technology, artificial intelligence and business.

Buenos Aires: Buenos Aires is home to some of the most prestigious universities in Latin America. The University of Buenos Aires (UBA), ranked 71st with an overall score of 67.6, is among the best in the region and is internationally recognized for its excellence in science and engineering.

Many of Argentina's leading AI engineers and data scientists have studied at UBA, benefiting from its rigorous academic background. In addition, the National University of La Plata (UNLP), ranked 534th with a score of 23, is another highly regarded institution with strong programs in computer science and artificial intelligence.

Transparent Pricing with Teilur Talent

At Teilur Talent, we believe in a transparent pricing model that ensures you know exactly what you are paying for. Unlike traditional recruitment agencies that charge hidden fees or excessive margins, our approach keeps things simple and fair. We never charge more than 20% commission, so you can hire the best AI engineers in Medellin or Buenos Aires at competitive market rates without overpaying.

With our pre-screened AI engineers, you get access to top talent that meets your technical and cultural needs. We handle the recruiting, screening, and matching, so you can focus on growing your team efficiently. Our no-surprises pricing structure means you hire AI engineers at a fair cost, so you can easily budget and confidently grow your AI capabilities.

Learn more about remote hiring: The Importance of Transparency for Developers and Clients.

Our thoughts on the pricing structure of Toptal

While it's not possible for us to find details about how much of what a client pays ultimately goes to a candidate, we believe clients looking for transparent and straightforward pricing may want to look at other alternatives.

Our opinion is that if they are charging a client more than $12,000 monthly for a developer, they should at the very least be giving $9,600 to the candidate, but it's likely that it's even less than that.

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What Hiring Managers Should Ask Before Choosing a Talent Partner

Before partnering with any talent provider — whether Toptal, Teilur, or others — hiring managers should consider asking the following key questions:

What percentage of the fee actually goes to the talent?
Are replacement or satisfaction guarantees included in the contract?
How are regional salary benchmarks determined?
Is there full transparency in how rates are broken down?
What is the long-term cost difference between hiring directly and through a platform?
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These questions can help businesses make informed decisions and ensure that pricing aligns with both market realities and ethical compensation practices.

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Toptal vs Teilur Talent Comparison

Concept	Toptal	Teilur Talent
Transparency	Pricing details are not publicly disclosed. Clients see a blended hourly rate that includes both Toptal’s fee and the freelancer’s pay.	Fully transparent rate breakdown. Clients see exactly how much goes to the talent and how much is retained by Teilur as a service fee.
Commission / Markup	Estimated at up to ~50% based on third-party reports and client testimonials. The exact markup percentage is not officially stated.	Capped at 20%, ensuring that at least 80% of the client’s payment goes directly to the developer.
Monthly Subscription Fee	$79/month, non-optional, grants access to Toptal’s vetted talent network. (Source: Toptal website).	No subscription fees. Clients only pay when hiring or engaging talent.
Initial Deposit	$500 refundable deposit required to begin a talent search.	No upfront deposit required to start the matching process.
Trial Policy	Two-week no-risk trial. Clients are billed only if satisfied with the match.	N/A (direct matching) – Teilur focuses on pre-vetted, long-term placements with transparent trial terms discussed case by case.
Pricing Range (Developers)	$60–$200+ per hour depending on experience and project complexity (includes platform markup).	$6,000–$7,000/month for senior LATAM developers, equivalent to ~$35–$45/hour — transparent, with no hidden markups.
Payment Structure	Bi-monthly invoices; payment terms like Net 10. Includes blended rate.	Monthly invoices with clear cost breakdown (talent pay + Teilur fee).

Conclusion

Choosing between Medellin and Buenos Aires to hire AI engineers depends on your priorities. If you're looking for cost-effective talent with strong industry connections, Medellin offers a growing tech ecosystem, competitive salaries, and a growing pool of AI professionals. On the other hand, if English proficiency and top university rankings are more important to your team, Buenos Aires stands out for its highly skilled workforce and strong academic background in AI and software development.

To help you make the best decision, use the calculator below to estimate your costs and potential savings. For more details and personalized advice, please contact us.

Toptal vs Teilur Talent Comparison

Concept	Toptal	Teilur Talent
Business Model	Global freelance marketplace connecting clients with vetted professionals in software, design, and finance.	LATAM-focused recruitment company connecting businesses with full-time remote developers and tech professionals.
Selectivity Claim	Claims to accept less than 3% of applicants, based on its internal screening process.	Works only with pre-vetted, bilingual professionals in LATAM, selected for technical and communication skills.
Recruitment Process	Multi-stage: timed skills test → English interview → real-world project → live screen evaluation.	Direct evaluation of experience, portfolio, and communication ability. Matches candidates by vertical (QA, Software, Cybersecurity, Data & BI) and company culture.
Trial or Test Period	Offers a two-week trial, refundable if client isn’t satisfied.	No fixed trial period — focuses on long-term retention and transparent onboarding.
Contract Type	Typically weekly contracts (20 or 40 hours) with limited flexibility for short-term projects.	Flexible monthly agreements, allowing scalability per project scope and company needs.
Transparency	Pricing details not publicly disclosed. Clients see a blended hourly rate including Toptal’s markup.	Fully transparent pricing model. Clients see how much goes to the developer and how much is Teilur’s service fee.
Commission / Markup	Estimated around 40–50%, based on user reports and external reviews.	Capped at 20%. At least 80% of client payment goes directly to the developer.
Initial Deposit	Requires a $500 refundable deposit to start the search process.	No upfront deposit required.
Client Support	Account managers available during hiring and engagement. Support quality varies by project.	Personalized support from start to finish, ensuring alignment for both client and talent.
Developer Pay Transparency	Developers are contractually restricted from disclosing their actual pay rates.	Developers know their full compensation and see transparent rate breakdowns.
Geographic Focus	Global, with talent from Eastern Europe, Asia, and LATAM.	Exclusive to Latin America, optimizing time-zone alignment and cultural fit.
Turnover Rate	Not publicly disclosed.	Reported below 15%, reflecting strong retention and satisfaction.
Best For	Large enterprises or teams needing globally distributed freelance specialists.	U.S. and international companies seeking transparent, long-term partnerships with vetted LATAM developers.

We are incredibly pleased with Teilur Talent as our talent partner. Their expertise has allowed us to recruit qualified candidates from abroad, making the hiring process smooth and efficient - highly recommended for any company looking to expand their talent pool!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Carolina Penuela

Justo

"Great for recruiting"
What do you like best about Teilur Talent? Recruiting tool for connecting talent in South and Central America to job postings in the USA.
What problems is Teilur solving and how is that benefiting you? Vetted candidates that we are able to use in our agency.

Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Teilur Talent helped me land a high-paying role, and everything has been great so far. If you ever have the opportunity to work with them, do so. I highly recommend it!

Eddie Santiago

Review collected by and hosted on Trustpilot.

I have heard of Teilur Talent, and I think it is a very innovative and socially responsible company. I also think it has a very positive culture and cares about its employees and customers.

Daniel Oviedo

My experience with Teilur Talent has been overwhelmingly positive from the start. Transparency and clear communication were standout features throughout my journey with the company. Highly recommended!

Hire AI Engineers in Medellin vs Buenos Aires