Average Automotive Project Engineer Salary in Costa Rica for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Automotive Project Engineer salary for 2024 in Costa Rica and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Costa Rican colón. To keep things simple, we are using the CRC currency code instead of the currency symbol ₡.

How Much Does an Automotive Project Engineer Make in Costa Rica?

An Automotive Project Engineer working in Costa Rica will typically earn around 18,958,500 CRC per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 10,057,900 CRC to the highest average salary of 28,801,400 CRC.

Average Annual Salary
18,958,500 CRC
Average Monthly Salary
1,579,875 CRC

Lowest Annual Salary
10,057,900 CRC
Lowest Monthly Salary
838,158 CRC

Highest Annual Salary
28,801,400 CRC
Highest Monthly Salary
2,400,116 CRC

These are average salaries for an Automotive Project Engineer in Costa Rica and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Automotive Project Engineer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Automotive Project Engineer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Automotive Project Engineer Salaries in Costa Rica

So we've looked at the average salaries an Automotive Project Engineer will earn in Costa Rica. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Automotive Project Engineer can earn between 10,057,900 CRC and 28,801,400 CRC on average in Costa Rica. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Automotive Project Engineer in Costa Rica is 17,879,000 CRC. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 17,879,000 CRC, and 50% of the population earn more than 17,879,000 CRC.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Automotive Project Engineer salary in Costa Rica, 25% of the population are earning less than 12,600,600 CRC while 75% of the population earn more than 12,600,600 CRC.

75% of the population earn less than 21,961,700 CRC, and 25% of the population earn more than 21,961,700 CRC.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Automotive Project Engineer Salary by Experience Level in Costa Rica

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average automotive project engineer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Automotive Project Engineer in Costa Rica that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 11,557,500 CRC.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Automotive Project Engineer salary would increase to 14,158,800 CRC.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Automotive Project Engineer, the average salary would be 20,159,800 CRC.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 23,520,800 CRC.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Automotive Project Engineer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 25,801,200 CRC.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Automotive Project Engineer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 27,361,200 CRC.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
11,557,500 CRC
2-5 Years +23%
14,158,800 CRC
5-10 Years +42%
20,159,800 CRC
10-15 Years +17%
23,520,800 CRC
15-20 Years +10%
25,801,200 CRC
20+ Years +6%
27,361,200 CRC

Automotive Project Engineer Salary by Education Level in Costa Rica

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Automotive Project Engineer in Costa Rica based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. An Automotive Project Engineer in Costa Rica with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 13,079,500 CRC.

  • Master's Degree. An Automotive Project Engineer in Costa Rica with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 25,321,400 CRC.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
13,079,500 CRC
Master's Degree +93%
25,321,400 CRC

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Costa Rica is around 11,800,000 to 35,400,000 CRC and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Automotive Project Engineer Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Costa Rica, a male automotive project engineer will earn an average of 19,558,300 CRC, while a female automotive project engineer will earn around 18,239,400 CRC.

This means that a male automotive project engineer earns approximately 7% more than a female automotive project engineer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Costa Rica

Male
19,558,300 CRC
Female -7%
18,239,400 CRC

Automotive Project Engineer Average Pay Raise in Costa Rica

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Automotive Project Engineer in Costa Rica is around 11% every 18 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Costa Rica is around 9% every 17 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 18 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that an Automotive Project Engineer in Costa Rica can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Costa Rica for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Costa Rica.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
7%
Energy
5%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
1%
Travel
8%
Construction
6%
Education
4%

Automotive Project Engineer Bonus and Incentive Rates in Costa Rica

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Automotive Project Engineer is a moderate bonus based job, with 50% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

50% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5%.

Received Bonus
50%
No Bonus
50%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Costa Rica earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
29,399,100 CRC
Private Sector -6%
27,721,300 CRC

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Automotive Project Engineer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Automotive Project Engineer in Costa Rica.

Job Title Category Salary
After Sales Automotive Manager Automotive 30,721,900 CRC
Alignment Technician Automotive 9,695,200 CRC
Auto Damage Adjuster Automotive 11,617,300 CRC
Auto Detailer Automotive 10,608,800 CRC
Auto Parts Manager Automotive 37,318,700 CRC
Automotive Assembler Automotive 10,199,600 CRC
Automotive Assembly Manager Automotive 32,519,500 CRC
Automotive Assembly Operator Automotive 10,750,100 CRC
Automotive Body Repairer Automotive 9,841,900 CRC
Automotive Branch Manager Automotive 43,438,200 CRC
Automotive Central Planner Automotive 15,719,900 CRC
Automotive Electrician Automotive 12,721,300 CRC
Automotive Engineering Technician Automotive 15,118,700 CRC
Automotive Estimating Manager Automotive 27,721,300 CRC
Automotive Estimator Automotive 21,241,100 CRC
Automotive General Manager Automotive 52,918,800 CRC
Automotive Inventory Officer Automotive 10,560,900 CRC
Automotive Manager Automotive 48,841,700 CRC
Automotive Master Mechanic Automotive 15,238,200 CRC
Automotive Parts Supplier Automotive 15,360,400 CRC
Automotive Project Manager Automotive 35,521,100 CRC
Automotive Purchase Manager Automotive 37,919,200 CRC
Automotive Sales Automotive 21,241,100 CRC
Automotive Service Technician Automotive 10,835,000 CRC
Automotive Technician Automotive 10,788,900 CRC
Automotive Test Engineer Automotive 18,840,100 CRC
Automotive Warranty Administrator Automotive 17,758,500 CRC
Automotive Warranty Clerk Automotive 11,038,600 CRC
Car Parts and Accessories Fitter Automotive 9,311,400 CRC
Car Salesman Automotive 20,038,100 CRC
Damage Appraiser Automotive 16,320,700 CRC
Diesel Engine Specialist Automotive 14,280,500 CRC
Job Card Opener Automotive 10,080,900 CRC
Lube Technician Automotive 8,123,400 CRC
Master File Maintenance Automotive 14,400,800 CRC
Materials Planner Automotive 15,599,800 CRC
Mechanic Automotive 10,704,700 CRC
Motor Vehicle Inspector Automotive 14,880,300 CRC
Motorcycle Mechanic Automotive 11,425,300 CRC
Service Advisor Automotive 19,799,400 CRC
Service Manager Automotive 30,721,900 CRC
Stock Controller Automotive 13,919,600 CRC
Technical Advisor Automotive 20,760,500 CRC
Tire Retreader Automotive 9,466,400 CRC
Used Car Manager Automotive 29,041,200 CRC
Vehicle Body Maker Automotive 12,841,200 CRC
Vehicle Examiner Automotive 14,280,500 CRC
Vehicle Painter Automotive 9,133,400 CRC
Vehicle Trimmer Automotive 9,744,400 CRC
Welder Automotive 9,166,100 CRC

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Costa Rica, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
San Jose 21,241,100 CRC

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