A person working as a Petroleum Geologist in Costa Rica typically earns around 4,030,000 CRC per month. Salaries range from 1,980,000 CRC (lowest) to 6,290,000 CRC (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 Costa Rica range from 1,980,000 CRC per month (minimum salary) to 6,290,000 CRC per month (maximum salary).
The median salary is 4,110,000 CRC per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Petroleum Geologist(s) are earning less than 4,110,000 CRC while the other half are earning more than 4,110,000 CRC. 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 2,740,000 CRC while 75% of them are earning more than 2,740,000 CRC. Also from the diagram, 75% of Petroleum Geologist(s) are earning less than 5,310,000 CRC while 25% are earning more than 5,310,000 CRC.
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 2,340,000 CRC per month.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 3,010,000 CRC per month, 29% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 4,160,000 CRC per month, 38% 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 5,150,000 CRC per month, 24% 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 5,520,000 CRC per month, 7% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 5,880,000 CRC per month, 7% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
0 - 2 Years | 2,340,000 CRC | |
2 - 5 Years | +29% | 3,010,000 CRC |
5 - 10 Years | +38% | 4,160,000 CRC |
10 - 15 Years | +24% | 5,150,000 CRC |
15 - 20 Years | +7% | 5,520,000 CRC |
20+ Years | +7% | 5,880,000 CRC |
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 2,750,000 CRC per month.
While someone with a Master's Degree gets a salary of 3,790,000 CRC per month, 38% more than someone having a Bachelor's Degree degree.
A PhD gets its holder an average salary of 6,210,000 CRC per month, 64% more than someone with a Master's Degree.
Bachelor's Degree | 2,750,000 CRC | |
Master's Degree | +38% | 3,790,000 CRC |
PhD | +64% | 6,210,000 CRC |
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Costa Rica costs anywhere from 11,800,000 Costa Rican Colon(s) to 35,400,000 Costa Rican Colon(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 Costa Rica earn 7% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 4,150,000 CRC | |
Female | -6% | 3,890,000 CRC |
Petroleum Geologist(s) in Costa Rica are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 14% every 17 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% 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 | 7% | |
Energy | 5% | |
Information Technology | 3% | |
Healthcare | 1% | |
Travel | 8% | |
Construction | 6% | |
Education | 4% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in Costa Rica 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.
44% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 56% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 56% | |
No Bonus | 44% |
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 90% 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 | 2,160,000 CRC | ![]() |
Associate Analyst | 2,360,000 CRC | ![]() |
Associate Landman | 992,000 CRC | ![]() |
Auxiliary Equipment Operator | 906,000 CRC | ![]() |
Biomass Plant Technician | 1,080,000 CRC | ![]() |
Biomass Power Plant Manager | 2,950,000 CRC | ![]() |
Chemical Plant Operator | 1,750,000 CRC | ![]() |
Chief Contract Compliance Engineer | 2,190,000 CRC | ![]() |
Completions Engineer | 1,980,000 CRC | ![]() |
Cost Controller | 1,510,000 CRC | ![]() |
Crude Oil Marketing Representative | 2,280,000 CRC | ![]() |
Dispatcher | 881,000 CRC | ![]() |
Distribution Manager | 2,990,000 CRC | ![]() |
Dragline Operator | 1,010,000 CRC | ![]() |
Driller Offsider | 795,000 CRC | ![]() |
Dump Truck Driver | 857,000 CRC | ![]() |
Electric and Gas Operations Manager | 5,060,000 CRC | ![]() |
Energy Advisor | 3,170,000 CRC | ![]() |
Energy Analyst | 3,030,000 CRC | ![]() |
Energy Auditor | 2,810,000 CRC | ![]() |
Energy Dispatch Director | 3,630,000 CRC | ![]() |
Energy Technical Assistant | 1,310,000 CRC | ![]() |
Energy Technical Manager | 2,750,000 CRC | ![]() |
Energy Technical Trainer | 1,790,000 CRC | ![]() |
Exploration Manager | 3,880,000 CRC | ![]() |
Field Safety Auditor | 2,430,000 CRC | ![]() |
Fluids Engineer | 2,080,000 CRC | ![]() |
Fuel Cell Engineer | 2,260,000 CRC | ![]() |
Fuel Cell Technician | 1,130,000 CRC | ![]() |
Fuels Handler | 985,000 CRC | ![]() |
Gas Compressor Operator | 903,000 CRC | ![]() |
Gas Distribution Plant Operator | 1,760,000 CRC | ![]() |
Gas Supply Manager | 3,380,000 CRC | ![]() |
Geologist | 3,820,000 CRC | ![]() |
Geophysicist | 3,780,000 CRC | ![]() |
Geothermal Production Manager | 3,790,000 CRC | ![]() |
Geothermal Technician | 1,480,000 CRC | ![]() |
HSE Engineer | 2,120,000 CRC | ![]() |
HSE Officer | 1,360,000 CRC | ![]() |
HSEQ Administrator | 1,520,000 CRC | ![]() |
Inspector | 1,980,000 CRC | ![]() |
Instructor | 1,690,000 CRC | ![]() |
Instrument Designer | 1,760,000 CRC | ![]() |
Lead Technical Field Advisor | 2,730,000 CRC | ![]() |
Logistics and Tool Coordinator | 1,890,000 CRC | ![]() |
Maintenance Engineer | 2,150,000 CRC | ![]() |
Maintenance Superintendent | 2,010,000 CRC | ![]() |
Material Controller | 1,460,000 CRC | ![]() |
Mine Engineer | 2,160,000 CRC | ![]() |
Mine Surveyor | 2,350,000 CRC | ![]() |
Mining Project Administrator | 1,900,000 CRC | ![]() |
Mining Project Assistant | 1,450,000 CRC | ![]() |
Mining Project Controls Consultant | 2,420,000 CRC | ![]() |
Mining Project Coordinator | 1,940,000 CRC | ![]() |
Mining Project Engineer | 2,150,000 CRC | ![]() |
Mining Project Manager | 2,720,000 CRC | ![]() |
Mining Site Manager | 2,780,000 CRC | ![]() |
Mining Team Leader | 2,340,000 CRC | ![]() |
NDT Technician | 1,270,000 CRC | ![]() |
Oil Service Unit Operator | 1,140,000 CRC | ![]() |
Oil Trader | 2,780,000 CRC | ![]() |
Oilwell Pumper | 802,000 CRC | ![]() |
Petroleum Engineer | 2,480,000 CRC | ![]() |
Petroleum Geologist | 4,030,000 CRC | ![]() |
Petroleum Pump System Operator | 1,210,000 CRC | ![]() |
Pipeline Technician | 822,000 CRC | ![]() |
Power Coordinator | 1,370,000 CRC | ![]() |
Power Plant Operations Manager | 4,000,000 CRC | ![]() |
Power Plant Operator | 1,750,000 CRC | ![]() |
Radio Operator | 956,000 CRC | ![]() |
Reliability Engineer | 2,180,000 CRC | ![]() |
Reservoir Engineer | 1,960,000 CRC | ![]() |
Risk Analyst | 2,580,000 CRC | ![]() |
Roughneck | 2,170,000 CRC | ![]() |
Scaffolder | 1,460,000 CRC | ![]() |
Shutdown Engineer | 1,820,000 CRC | ![]() |
Solar Energy Installation Manager | 3,010,000 CRC | ![]() |
Solar Energy Systems Engineer | 2,230,000 CRC | ![]() |
Solar Photovoltaic Installer | 1,340,000 CRC | ![]() |
Solar Thermal Technician | 1,350,000 CRC | ![]() |
Supply Operations Manager | 3,530,000 CRC | ![]() |
Sustainability Specialist | 3,570,000 CRC | ![]() |
System Development Advisor | 2,540,000 CRC | ![]() |
Tanker Truck Driver | 823,000 CRC | ![]() |
Utility Operator | 1,120,000 CRC | ![]() |
Wind Energy Project Manager | 3,020,000 CRC | ![]() |
City | Average Salary |
San Jose | 4,400,000 CRC |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in Costa Rica earn 6% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 2,310,000 CRC | |
Public Sector | +6% | 2,450,000 CRC |