

Ask HN: How to estimate your hourly rate as a consultant? - nnd

I&#x27;m starting out as an independent consultant mainly focusing on backend (Python) and iOS development. I need help evaluating my rate, as I never charged per hour before. I just had full-time jobs in different countries and the salary varied significantly, so an approach of just dividing my previous salary won&#x27;t work plus I didn&#x27;t have a job for over a year and worked on my startup, so my worth as a consultant is different now.<p>Also, some clients make an argument that a developer residing in India or Vietnam doesn&#x27;t deserve to make as much money as devs in the Bay area, as the living costs are much lower, what do you think about it?<p>Some clients are asking me to install some time tracking software, is that considered to be a good practice?<p>It&#x27;s very difficult to negotiate price as clients always try to belittle you, so it&#x27;s extremely important to know your self-worth rate-wise.
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lscore720
I find this to be a good starting resource for freelancers:
[http://lifehacker.com/how-to-determine-your-freelance-
rate-a...](http://lifehacker.com/how-to-determine-your-freelance-rate-and-get-
paid-what-1659726265). At the end of the day, it's a combination of your
expenses, value to the client, and marketing ability.

