AI token expenses for coding are projected to match or surpass software engineers' monthly salaries by 2028, as enterprises increasingly rely on AI tools for development tasks.
Gartner predicts AI coding token costs will match developer salaries within two years as agentic tool adoption accelerates. Organizations lack mature cost frameworks, risking budget depletion and uncontrolled token spend decoupled from productivity gains.
Generative AI tools are driving up costs
Jun 29, 2026
11:11 am
What's the storyThe cost of artificial intelligence (AI) coding tokens could soon match or even surpass the monthly salary of a software engineer.
This prediction comes from research firm Gartner, which says that within two years, enterprises will be spending as much on AI token usage as they do on their developers' salaries.
AI coding costs could top developer salaries by 2028
Forecast: By 2028, AI coding will be more expensive than human developers
AI coding costs to surpass average developer’s salary by 2028: Gartner
AI coding costs will surpass average developer’s salary by 2028 as token consumption surges: Gartner
Prognose: 2028 wird KI-Coding teurer als Entwicklergehälter
Prognose: 2028 wird KI-Coding teurer als menschliche Entwickler
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