A person working as a Petroleum Geologist in Saudi Arabia typically earns around 26,100 SAR per month. Salaries range from 13,600 SAR (lowest) to 39,900 SAR (highest).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Petroleum Geologist salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Petroleum Geologist salaries in Saudi Arabia range from 13,600 SAR per month (minimum salary) to 39,900 SAR per month (maximum salary).
The median salary is 25,000 SAR per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Petroleum Geologist(s) are earning less than 25,000 SAR while the other half are earning more than 25,000 SAR. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Petroleum Geologist(s) are earning less than 17,400 SAR while 75% of them are earning more than 17,400 SAR. Also from the diagram, 75% of Petroleum Geologist(s) are earning less than 31,200 SAR while 25% are earning more than 31,200 SAR.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Petroleum Geologist salaries by experience level and this is what we found.
A Petroleum Geologist with less than two years of experience makes approximately 15,400 SAR per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 20,700 SAR per month, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 26,900 SAR per month, 30% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, Petroleum Geologist(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 32,500 SAR per month, 21% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 35,600 SAR per month, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 37,400 SAR per month, 5% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 15,400 SAR | |
2 - 5 Years | +34% | 20,700 SAR |
5 - 10 Years | +30% | 26,900 SAR |
10 - 15 Years | +21% | 32,500 SAR |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 35,600 SAR |
20+ Years | +5% | 37,400 SAR |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Petroleum Geologist salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.
When the education level is Bachelor's Degree, the average salary of a Petroleum Geologist is 19,900 SAR per month.
While someone with a Master's Degree gets a salary of 24,600 SAR per month, 24% more than someone having a Bachelor's Degree degree.
A PhD gets its holder an average salary of 39,400 SAR per month, 60% more than someone with a Master's Degree.
Bachelor's Degree | 19,900 SAR | |
Master's Degree | +24% | 24,600 SAR |
PhD | +60% | 39,400 SAR |
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Saudi Arabia costs anywhere from 83,500 Saudi Riyal(s) to 251,000 Saudi Riyal(s) and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch into a higher paying job. The numbers seem to support the thoery. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Petroleum Geologist employees in Saudi Arabia earn 11% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 27,700 SAR | |
Female | -10% | 25,000 SAR |
Petroleum Geologist(s) in Saudi Arabia are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 13% every 17 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 17 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 2% | |
Energy | 4% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 8% | |
Travel | 1% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 5% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Saudi Arabia for the year 2021. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
A Petroleum Geologist is considered to be a moderate bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
47% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 53% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 5% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 53% | |
No Bonus | 47% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The average salary for Petroleum Geologist is 73% more than that of Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining. Also, Oil / Gas / Energy / Mining salaries are 10% less than those of All Jobs.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Assistant Yard Manager | 14,300 SAR | ![]() |
Associate Analyst | 16,000 SAR | ![]() |
Associate Landman | 6,720 SAR | ![]() |
Auxiliary Equipment Operator | 5,950 SAR | ![]() |
Biomass Plant Technician | 7,220 SAR | ![]() |
Biomass Power Plant Manager | 20,500 SAR | ![]() |
Chemical Plant Operator | 11,700 SAR | ![]() |
Chief Contract Compliance Engineer | 15,200 SAR | ![]() |
Completions Engineer | 13,600 SAR | ![]() |
Cost Controller | 10,900 SAR | ![]() |
Crude Oil Marketing Representative | 16,300 SAR | ![]() |
Dispatcher | 5,920 SAR | ![]() |
Distribution Manager | 20,600 SAR | ![]() |
Dragline Operator | 6,940 SAR | ![]() |
Driller Offsider | 5,070 SAR | ![]() |
Dump Truck Driver | 5,980 SAR | ![]() |
Electric and Gas Operations Manager | 32,300 SAR | ![]() |
Energy Advisor | 22,900 SAR | ![]() |
Energy Analyst | 19,800 SAR | ![]() |
Energy Auditor | 19,100 SAR | ![]() |
Energy Dispatch Director | 24,100 SAR | ![]() |
Energy Technical Assistant | 8,740 SAR | ![]() |
Energy Technical Manager | 18,200 SAR | ![]() |
Energy Technical Trainer | 13,200 SAR | ![]() |
Exploration Manager | 26,700 SAR | ![]() |
Field Safety Auditor | 16,400 SAR | ![]() |
Fluids Engineer | 14,400 SAR | ![]() |
Fuel Cell Engineer | 15,800 SAR | ![]() |
Fuel Cell Technician | 7,480 SAR | ![]() |
Fuels Handler | 7,060 SAR | ![]() |
Gas Compressor Operator | 6,170 SAR | ![]() |
Gas Distribution Plant Operator | 12,500 SAR | ![]() |
Gas Supply Manager | 22,800 SAR | ![]() |
Geologist | 26,800 SAR | ![]() |
Geophysicist | 26,600 SAR | ![]() |
Geothermal Production Manager | 26,100 SAR | ![]() |
Geothermal Technician | 10,600 SAR | ![]() |
HSE Engineer | 15,200 SAR | ![]() |
HSE Officer | 9,150 SAR | ![]() |
HSEQ Administrator | 10,700 SAR | ![]() |
Inspector | 13,200 SAR | ![]() |
Instructor | 11,900 SAR | ![]() |
Instrument Designer | 12,000 SAR | ![]() |
Lead Technical Field Advisor | 19,900 SAR | ![]() |
Logistics and Tool Coordinator | 13,200 SAR | ![]() |
Maintenance Engineer | 14,600 SAR | ![]() |
Maintenance Superintendent | 13,600 SAR | ![]() |
Material Controller | 9,730 SAR | ![]() |
Mine Engineer | 14,300 SAR | ![]() |
Mine Surveyor | 15,300 SAR | ![]() |
Mining Project Administrator | 13,200 SAR | ![]() |
Mining Project Assistant | 10,200 SAR | ![]() |
Mining Project Controls Consultant | 16,000 SAR | ![]() |
Mining Project Coordinator | 13,300 SAR | ![]() |
Mining Project Engineer | 14,100 SAR | ![]() |
Mining Project Manager | 18,100 SAR | ![]() |
Mining Site Manager | 19,300 SAR | ![]() |
Mining Team Leader | 15,600 SAR | ![]() |
NDT Technician | 8,760 SAR | ![]() |
Oil Service Unit Operator | 7,790 SAR | ![]() |
Oil Trader | 18,700 SAR | ![]() |
Oilwell Pumper | 5,500 SAR | ![]() |
Petroleum Engineer | 16,200 SAR | ![]() |
Petroleum Geologist | 26,100 SAR | ![]() |
Petroleum Pump System Operator | 8,070 SAR | ![]() |
Pipeline Technician | 5,520 SAR | ![]() |
Power Coordinator | 8,980 SAR | ![]() |
Power Plant Operations Manager | 27,900 SAR | ![]() |
Power Plant Operator | 11,400 SAR | ![]() |
Radio Operator | 6,480 SAR | ![]() |
Reliability Engineer | 14,000 SAR | ![]() |
Reservoir Engineer | 14,000 SAR | ![]() |
Risk Analyst | 17,600 SAR | ![]() |
Roughneck | 15,600 SAR | ![]() |
Scaffolder | 9,590 SAR | ![]() |
Shutdown Engineer | 12,700 SAR | ![]() |
Solar Energy Installation Manager | 20,600 SAR | ![]() |
Solar Energy Systems Engineer | 15,800 SAR | ![]() |
Solar Photovoltaic Installer | 9,920 SAR | ![]() |
Solar Thermal Technician | 9,340 SAR | ![]() |
Supply Operations Manager | 23,200 SAR | ![]() |
Sustainability Specialist | 23,500 SAR | ![]() |
System Development Advisor | 16,700 SAR | ![]() |
Tanker Truck Driver | 6,010 SAR | ![]() |
Utility Operator | 7,710 SAR | ![]() |
Wind Energy Project Manager | 19,500 SAR | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
Abha | 25,300 SAR |
Dammam | 26,600 SAR |
Jeddah | 27,600 SAR |
Khubar | 27,100 SAR |
Mecca | 29,100 SAR |
Medina | 27,800 SAR |
Riyadh | 28,900 SAR |
Tabuk | 25,000 SAR |
Taif | 24,300 SAR |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Saudi Arabia earn 7% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 16,000 SAR | |
Public Sector | +7% | 17,200 SAR |