$1,600/mo Entry
- Graphic Designer (Junior, 1-3 yrs)$600
- Content Writer (Junior, 1-3 yrs)$500
- Social Media Manager (Junior, 1-3 yrs)$500
Three full-time juniors. Right for steady, well-briefed production.
Designer + writer + social media manager
Three full-time hires, under $3,000 a month
Full-time, dedicated, managed, and on your hours. Here is exactly what it costs, line by line.
Yes, you can hire a full-time graphic designer, content writer and social media manager for under $3,000 a month, managed. Through dpoint the three cost $1,600 a month at junior level and $2,500 at mid level, all-in: recruiting, payroll, equipment, NDA, IP assignment and an account lead are included. Add a mid-level digital marketer and you have a team of four for about $3,000.
Four ways to build it
Real dpoint rate-card prices, per full-time person, per month, all-in. Mix the seniority you need.
$1,900/mo Balanced
- Graphic Designer (Mid, 3-6 yrs)$900
- Content Writer (Junior, 1-3 yrs)$500
- Social Media Manager (Junior, 1-3 yrs)$500
A mid-level designer sets the visual standard; writer and social execute.
$2,500/mo Mid-level
- Graphic Designer (Mid, 3-6 yrs)$900
- Content Writer (Mid, 3-6 yrs)$800
- Social Media Manager (Mid, 3-6 yrs)$800
Three experienced people who need less direction.
$3,000/mo Team of four
- Content Writer (Junior, 1-3 yrs)$500
- Graphic Designer (Mid, 3-6 yrs)$900
- Social Media Manager (Junior, 1-3 yrs)$500
- Digital Marketer (Mid, 3-6 yrs)$1,100
Add a mid-level digital marketer to run SEO, ads and reporting.
Compared with the usual advice
What the same three roles cost other ways
The common advice for this budget is to hire freelancers yourself, on the belief that managed staffing cannot fit. Competitor prices are quoted from each company’s own pricing page, checked on 2 October 2026.
| Monthly cost | What you get | Who does the work of hiring and managing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| dpoint, managed | $1,600 to $2,500 for all three | Full-time, dedicated to you, on your hours | dpoint: recruiting, payroll, equipment, NDA and IP, account lead, replacement |
| Hire directly (for example OnlineJobs.ph) | $69 to $99 a month for job-board access, plus three salaries you negotiate | Full-time if you can find and keep them | You: vetting, contracts, payments, management, replacement |
| Freelancers on a marketplace | Hourly rates plus marketplace fees | Usually part-time, shared with other clients | You: briefing, quality, continuity |
| Design subscription plus two freelancers | From $995 (Penji Essentials, 2 to 4 design hours a day) plus a writer and a social manager | Part-time design through a request queue | Split across three suppliers |
| Managed staffing, per person | From $1,799 for one full-time designer (Wing Assistant); from $2,000 per role (Hire Overseas) | Full-time | The provider; at $2,000 or more per role, three roles start around $6,000 |
Sources: OnlineJobs.ph, Penji, Wing Assistant, Hire Overseas. Prices change, so confirm on each provider’s site.
What is included
- Three full-time people, each working only for you
- Your working hours, US, UK or Gulf
- Recruiting and vetting, with no recruiting fee
- Payroll, equipment and software licences
- NDA and IP assignment signed before anyone starts
- A dpoint account lead who owns quality and delivery
- A trial before you commit, and a free replacement if someone is not the right fit
- One fixed monthly invoice
An example monthly scope
- Graphic designer
- Social posts and carousels, ad creative in several sizes, blog and email graphics, landing page visuals, brand templates.
- Content writer
- Long-form SEO articles, landing page and email copy, captions and scripts for the social calendar.
- Social media manager
- Content calendar, scheduling and posting across your channels, community replies, a monthly performance report.
Your actual scope and volumes are agreed with your account lead before the team starts.
Why it costs this little
The price reflects where the team lives, not how good they are. An experienced designer, writer or social media manager in India earns a strong local salary that costs a fraction of a US or UK one. dpoint publishes its rates, charges no recruiting fee and runs the payroll, equipment and management itself, so the saving reaches you as real capacity. Compare a larger budget on the team under $5,000 page, or see why a dedicated designer beats a design subscription on cost per hour.
FAQ
Budget team questions
Can I hire a full-time designer, writer and social media manager for under $3,000 a month?
Yes. Through dpoint the three cost $1,600 a month at junior level and $2,500 at mid level, all-in, with recruiting, payroll, equipment, NDA, IP assignment and an account lead included. Adding a mid-level digital marketer makes a managed team of four for about $3,000.
Is managed staffing really cheaper than hiring freelancers myself?
For this trio, usually yes. Hiring directly saves a margin on paper, but you pay job-board or marketplace fees, negotiate three rates, and carry vetting, management and replacement yourself. dpoint’s published entry price of $1,600 for all three full-time roles includes all of that.
Is $500 a month too cheap to be reliable?
The rate reflects the cost of living in India, not the skill level. Each price on the rate card is tied to experience: juniors have 1 to 3 years, mid-level 3 to 6 and seniors 6 or more. You review work samples, trial people before committing, and get a free replacement if someone is not the right fit.
Will the team work my hours?
Yes. dpoint operates 24/7 and assigns each client’s team to that client’s working day, US, UK or Gulf. For US clients that is a dedicated evening or night shift in India, worked as the team’s regular full-time job.
Are there setup fees or long contracts?
There are no recruiting or setup fees. You pay a fixed monthly price per person, starting once your team begins, and engagements are flexible with notice agreed in writing.
How fast can the three start?
You usually see shortlisted, vetted people within the week, and a productive, onboarded team in about 14 days.
Get your three-person team quoted.
Tell us the work you need each week and your time zone. You will get a written, fixed quote for the team, usually within the week.