I figure the awkward time zone difference for most U.S. clients has to count for some kind of haircut.
To be fair I hire a lot of developers on a contract basis. If you were in Vietnam (which is pretty much always off when we're on in SF) I would expect a discount. If I'm paying SF rates I'd rather have you in SF. There's a very real communication and feedback loop in design and dev that is difficult to deal with when folks are on the other side of the world. (Heck I expect a developer in Cleveland to be less expensive then one in SF)
All that being said, and to Patrick's point. One thing I learned running a consultancy was to never assume someone is looking for a less expensive solution. Once we stopped doing this and started charging what we felt we were worth, a lot of our cash flow issues started magically clearing up.
That makes sense. Essentially you're paying a premium for somebody that can afford to be in close proximity in a very expensive city. It only makes sense that somebody that can only work remotely and at inconvenient times for you isn't worth as much.
But the going Elance rates are ridiculous. I can make more money here with way less hassle as an English teacher.
To be fair I hire a lot of developers on a contract basis. If you were in Vietnam (which is pretty much always off when we're on in SF) I would expect a discount. If I'm paying SF rates I'd rather have you in SF. There's a very real communication and feedback loop in design and dev that is difficult to deal with when folks are on the other side of the world. (Heck I expect a developer in Cleveland to be less expensive then one in SF)
All that being said, and to Patrick's point. One thing I learned running a consultancy was to never assume someone is looking for a less expensive solution. Once we stopped doing this and started charging what we felt we were worth, a lot of our cash flow issues started magically clearing up.