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Average Aircraft Captain Salary in Mexico for 2026

An aircraft captain in Mexico earns about 628,000 MXN a year. That's 58% above the national average of 398,300 MXN.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Mexico sit around 315,700 MXN a year, while the very top stretches to 974,600 MXN. Everything on this page is in Mexican peso (MXN, symbol $), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Mexico, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

How much does an aircraft captain make in Mexico?

Average salary
628,000 MXN
52,333 MXN per month
Lowest reported
315,700 MXN
26,308 MXN per month
Highest reported
974,600 MXN
81,216 MXN per month

A typical aircraft captain working in Mexico brings home around 52,333 MXN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 315,700 MXN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 974,600 MXN for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior aircraft captain working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.

How aircraft captain pay ranges in Mexico

A good way to think about salary in Mexico is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all aircraft captains in Mexico earn less than 628,000 MXN a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 424,300 MXN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 799,300 MXN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of aircraft captains sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 315,700 MXN. The highest stretch to 974,600 MXN, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

315,700
Low
628,000
Median
974,600
High
424,300
25th
799,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in MXN

Aircraft captain pay by experience in Mexico

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an aircraft captain in Mexico, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical aircraft captain salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    377,200 MXN
  • 2-5 Years
    +32% from previous
    499,300 MXN
  • 5-10 Years
    +34% from previous
    667,400 MXN
  • 10-15 Years
    +19% from previous
    792,900 MXN
  • 15-20 Years
    +8% from previous
    858,400 MXN
  • 20+ Years
    +7% from previous
    918,600 MXN

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 34%. That is the point at which a aircraft captain typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Aircraft captain pay by education in Mexico

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving aircraft captain pay in Mexico. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average aircraft captain salary in Mexico broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Certificate or Diploma
    499,300 MXN
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +37% from previous
    683,400 MXN
  • Master's Degree
    +29% from previous
    879,800 MXN

Aircraft captain gender pay gap in Mexico

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Mexico is no exception. Male aircraft captains in Mexico earn an average of 643,800 MXN a year, while female aircraft captains earn around 606,400 MXN. That works out to a 6% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Aircraft Captain gender pay gap

6%

Men earn this much more than women on average in Mexico.

Men 643,800 MXN
Women 606,400 MXN

Pay raises for an aircraft captain in Mexico

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in Mexico sees a raise of about 12% every 19 months, which works out to roughly 8% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in Mexico, the national average raise is around 8% every 18 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in Mexico:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
    2%
  • Construction
  • Education
    1%

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Aircraft captain bonus rates in Mexico

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

56%

56% of aircraft captains in Mexico reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an aircraft captain a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 44% of aircraft captains reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in Mexico

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Aircraft captain: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in Mexico is about 8% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

8%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Mexico on average.

Public sector 415,900 MXN
Private sector 384,200 MXN

Aircraft captain salary by city in Mexico

Aircraft captain pay is not even across Mexico. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Mexico City
  • Puebla
  • Ecatepec de Morelos
  • Culiacan
  • Naucalpan
  • Nezahualcoyotl
  • Mexicali
  • Monterrey
  • Tijuana
  • Chihuahua
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Mexico CityCity895,900 MXN895,900 MXN448,500-1,380,400 MXN
PueblaCity866,900 MXN817,800 MXN459,300-1,320,500 MXN
Ecatepec de MorelosCity860,300 MXN840,100 MXN436,200-1,320,500 MXN
CuliacanCity858,400 MXN790,300 MXN464,400-1,296,900 MXN
NaucalpanCity852,900 MXN832,300 MXN433,400-1,306,100 MXN
NezahualcoyotlCity844,100 MXN861,300 MXN414,000-1,320,500 MXN
MexicaliCity840,100 MXN858,400 MXN414,000-1,306,100 MXN
MonterreyCity836,800 MXN884,700 MXN392,300-1,320,500 MXN
TijuanaCity825,900 MXN758,700 MXN447,300-1,249,900 MXN
ChihuahuaCity823,400 MXN791,200 MXN426,700-1,259,300 MXN
AcapulcoCity817,800 MXN782,500 MXN424,900-1,249,900 MXN
ZapopanCity817,800 MXN817,800 MXN407,300-1,259,300 MXN
GuadalajaraCity816,000 MXN783,800 MXN424,900-1,249,900 MXN
HermosilloCity814,500 MXN814,500 MXN407,300-1,259,300 MXN
ChimalhuacanCity814,100 MXN814,100 MXN407,100-1,259,300 MXN
Tlalnepantla de BazCity812,900 MXN862,100 MXN384,200-1,283,600 MXN
LeonCity807,900 MXN838,100 MXN386,400-1,273,300 MXN
AguascalientesCity807,900 MXN838,100 MXN386,400-1,273,300 MXN
GuadalupeCity803,400 MXN743,300 MXN433,800-1,212,800 MXN
DurangoCity802,400 MXN832,300 MXN384,500-1,259,300 MXN
TlaquepaqueCity783,800 MXN816,000 MXN377,200-1,235,600 MXN
QueretaroCity783,800 MXN848,200 MXN362,200-1,249,900 MXN
San Luis PotosiCity780,700 MXN840,100 MXN359,900-1,235,600 MXN
SaltilloCity780,600 MXN767,000 MXN398,300-1,198,300 MXN
Ciudad Lopez MateosCity780,600 MXN844,600 MXN361,600-1,249,900 MXN
MeridaCity778,500 MXN732,400 MXN412,000-1,182,800 MXN
CancunCity774,200 MXN786,600 MXN378,800-1,198,300 MXN
Ciudad ApodacaCity772,700 MXN757,300 MXN394,800-1,187,900 MXN
ReynosaCity767,500 MXN751,700 MXN390,000-1,182,800 MXN
Cuautitlan IzcalliCity767,500 MXN722,100 MXN407,100-1,166,500 MXN
TonalaCity765,100 MXN719,100 MXN406,300-1,162,900 MXN
MoreliaCity765,100 MXN717,900 MXN406,300-1,162,900 MXN
IrapuatoCity746,600 MXN790,600 MXN351,900-1,180,700 MXN
TorreonCity745,000 MXN791,200 MXN352,000-1,179,800 MXN
TolucaCity744,700 MXN786,600 MXN348,300-1,174,600 MXN
VeracruzCity744,700 MXN758,700 MXN363,000-1,162,900 MXN
General EscobedoCity743,100 MXN684,900 MXN399,900-1,122,900 MXN
CuernavacaCity733,300 MXN746,600 MXN359,900-1,142,900 MXN
Tuxtla GutierrezCity728,500 MXN701,400 MXN378,800-1,114,700 MXN
MazatlanCity725,700 MXN670,600 MXN392,300-1,098,200 MXN
XalapaCity725,700 MXN699,700 MXN378,300-1,113,700 MXN
San Nicolas de los GarzaCity724,300 MXN667,400 MXN390,000-1,092,200 MXN
MatamorosCity721,600 MXN721,600 MXN361,600-1,116,700 MXN
Ciudad Santa CatarinaCity712,100 MXN683,400 MXN369,900-1,088,800 MXN
XicoCity710,500 MXN710,500 MXN354,000-1,102,900 MXN
VillahermosaCity705,500 MXN731,700 MXN340,000-1,106,000 MXN
TampicoCity704,300 MXN675,200 MXN366,200-1,078,200 MXN
Ciudad VictoriaCity698,200 MXN727,100 MXN335,800-1,099,800 MXN
Nuevo LaredoCity696,700 MXN752,600 MXN319,600-1,109,600 MXN
IxtapalucaCity695,200 MXN748,600 MXN317,700-1,102,100 MXN
Gomez PalacioCity689,900 MXN744,700 MXN315,900-1,097,500 MXN
TepicCity688,900 MXN648,200 MXN363,000-1,043,600 MXN
Los MochisCity683,800 MXN671,000 MXN348,300-1,054,900 MXN
TehuacanCity681,900 MXN707,700 MXN325,900-1,069,900 MXN
CelayaCity681,500 MXN669,100 MXN349,300-1,048,100 MXN
Ciudad ObregonCity679,200 MXN692,500 MXN332,500-1,058,800 MXN
EnsenadaCity679,200 MXN663,100 MXN344,600-1,041,900 MXN
PachucaCity679,200 MXN679,200 MXN340,400-1,050,100 MXN
Ojo de AguaCity675,200 MXN713,900 MXN315,900-1,065,800 MXN
CampecheCity663,100 MXN623,700 MXN351,900-1,006,300 MXN
OaxacaCity663,100 MXN623,700 MXN351,900-1,006,300 MXN
Villa Nicolas RomeroCity656,800 MXN602,700 MXN353,600-990,700 MXN
UruapanCity656,800 MXN695,200 MXN308,900-1,035,500 MXN
CoacalcoCity652,200 MXN693,100 MXN308,900-1,032,400 MXN
Puerto VallartaCity649,700 MXN638,700 MXN332,500-1,003,800 MXN
CoatzacoalcosCity648,200 MXN659,200 MXN315,900-1,009,600 MXN
NogalesCity639,900 MXN652,200 MXN314,500-999,500 MXN
Los Reyes la PazCity639,900 MXN639,900 MXN317,700-991,000 MXN
Soledad de Graciano SanchezCity639,100 MXN615,000 MXN332,500-976,300 MXN
La PazCity632,400 MXN632,400 MXN315,900-983,700 MXN
ChilpancingoCity629,800 MXN581,300 MXN340,400-949,600 MXN
MonclovaCity629,800 MXN581,300 MXN340,400-953,300 MXN
MetepecCity618,800 MXN665,300 MXN282,500-983,100 MXN
Cholula de RivadabiaCity615,700 MXN650,700 MXN290,800-971,200 MXN
AcunaCity614,600 MXN590,200 MXN317,700-939,600 MXN
ChalcoCity612,500 MXN585,900 MXN315,900-932,000 MXN
Poza RicaCity605,700 MXN580,600 MXN315,700-926,000 MXN
JiutepecCity598,600 MXN598,600 MXN301,800-931,900 MXN
BuenavistaCity596,800 MXN645,800 MXN273,000-953,300 MXN
Ciudad JuarezCity596,100 MXN642,800 MXN275,200-946,000 MXN
Ciudad del CarmenCity596,100 MXN619,000 MXN283,700-934,900 MXN
TapachulaCity595,300 MXN620,300 MXN288,100-938,100 MXN
ChetumalCity592,600 MXN618,800 MXN282,500-932,800 MXN
San Pablo de las SalinasCity583,000 MXN595,300 MXN288,100-909,300 MXN
SalamancaCity581,300 MXN543,200 MXN308,900-879,800 MXN
Piedras NegrasCity576,500 MXN623,200 MXN265,000-917,700 MXN
ChicoloapanCity575,100 MXN538,600 MXN305,600-875,000 MXN
San Cristobal de las CasasCity575,100 MXN528,600 MXN312,400-866,900 MXN
ColimaCity568,500 MXN537,300 MXN301,600-866,900 MXN
San Luis Rio ColoradoCity565,100 MXN598,600 MXN266,000-893,500 MXN
ManzanilloCity562,600 MXN553,800 MXN286,400-868,400 MXN
CuautlaCity556,000 MXN543,200 MXN282,300-858,100 MXN
Zamora de HidalgoCity553,400 MXN541,700 MXN283,400-852,600 MXN
Ciudad VallesCity553,400 MXN563,300 MXN272,800-862,400 MXN
CordobaCity551,200 MXN562,200 MXN271,300-860,300 MXN
San Juan del RioCity551,200 MXN583,000 MXN259,100-870,700 MXN
San Pedro Garza GarciaCity545,300 MXN589,400 MXN249,600-866,900 MXN
DeliciasCity543,200 MXN502,200 MXN294,300-823,900 MXN
Playa del CarmenCity535,800 MXN545,300 MXN263,100-836,800 MXN
Boca del RioCity533,000 MXN533,000 MXN267,100-828,400 MXN
GuaymasCity533,000 MXN565,100 MXN249,600-844,100 MXN
IgualaCity528,500 MXN507,300 MXN273,000-810,400 MXN
ZacatecasCity528,500 MXN485,200 MXN283,700-798,900 MXN
FresnilloCity518,900 MXN518,900 MXN259,100-805,900 MXN
Hidalgo del ParralCity504,500 MXN525,700 MXN240,500-792,900 MXN
OrizabaCity501,400 MXN524,400 MXN239,300-790,300 MXN
NavojoaCity498,500 MXN537,300 MXN228,000-791,200 MXN
MinatitlanCity492,700 MXN466,300 MXN263,200-751,100 MXN

Aircraft Captain in Mexico: FAQs

  • How much does an aircraft captain make per month in Mexico?

    An aircraft captain in Mexico earns about 52,333 MXN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 628,000 MXN.

  • What's the salary range for an aircraft captain in Mexico?

    Entry-level aircraft captains in Mexico start near 315,700 MXN. Top-end pay reaches around 974,600 MXN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 424,300 and 799,300 MXN.

  • Is the median aircraft captain salary in Mexico higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 628,000 MXN, higher than the average of 628,000 MXN. Half of aircraft captains in Mexico earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for aircraft captains in Mexico?

    Men working as an aircraft captain in Mexico earn around 6% more than women on average (643,800 vs 606,400 MXN a year).

  • Do aircraft captains in Mexico get bonuses?

    About 56% of aircraft captains in Mexico reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do aircraft captains earn more in the public or private sector in Mexico?

    In Mexico, the public sector pays an aircraft captain about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do aircraft captains in Mexico get a pay raise?

    An aircraft captain in Mexico sees a raise of around 12% every 19 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.