Average Building Engineer Salary in Costa Rica for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Building 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 a Building Engineer Make in Costa Rica?

A Building Engineer working in Costa Rica will typically earn around 24,239,000 CRC per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 12,361,500 CRC to the highest average salary of 37,318,700 CRC.

Average Annual Salary
24,239,000 CRC
Average Monthly Salary
2,019,916 CRC

Lowest Annual Salary
12,361,500 CRC
Lowest Monthly Salary
1,030,125 CRC

Highest Annual Salary
37,318,700 CRC
Highest Monthly Salary
3,109,891 CRC

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

Building 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 Building Engineer Salaries in Costa Rica

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

Salary ranges

We already know that a Building Engineer can earn between 12,361,500 CRC and 37,318,700 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 a Building Engineer in Costa Rica is 23,759,100 CRC. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 23,759,100 CRC, and 50% of the population earn more than 23,759,100 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 Building Engineer salary in Costa Rica, 25% of the population are earning less than 16,320,700 CRC while 75% of the population earn more than 16,320,700 CRC.

75% of the population earn less than 30,001,600 CRC, and 25% of the population earn more than 30,001,600 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.

Building 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 building 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. A Building Engineer in Costa Rica that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 13,919,600 CRC.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Building Engineer salary would increase to 18,121,700 CRC.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Building Engineer, the average salary would be 25,321,400 CRC.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 30,479,000 CRC.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Building Engineer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 33,119,100 CRC.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Building Engineer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 35,758,400 CRC.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
13,919,600 CRC
2-5 Years +31%
18,121,700 CRC
5-10 Years +40%
25,321,400 CRC
10-15 Years +20%
30,479,000 CRC
15-20 Years +9%
33,119,100 CRC
20+ Years +8%
35,758,400 CRC

Building 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 a Building 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. A Building Engineer in Costa Rica with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 17,159,700 CRC.

  • Master's Degree. A Building Engineer in Costa Rica with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 30,360,800 CRC.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
17,159,700 CRC
Master's Degree +77%
30,360,800 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.

Building 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 building engineer will earn an average of 25,321,400 CRC, while a female building engineer will earn around 23,280,700 CRC.

This means that a male building engineer earns approximately 9% more than a female building engineer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Costa Rica

Male
25,321,400 CRC
Female -9%
23,280,700 CRC

Building 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 a Building Engineer in Costa Rica is around 10% every 19 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 = ( 10 ÷ 19 ) × 12  = 6%

What this means is that a Building Engineer in Costa Rica can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 6% 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%

Building 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.

A Building Engineer is a moderate bonus based job, with 52% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

48% 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 6%.

Received Bonus
52%
No Bonus
48%

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 a Building Engineer

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

Job Title Category Salary
Air Conditioning Technician Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 7,789,700 CRC
Assembly Supervisor Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 12,841,200 CRC
Assistant Contract Manager Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 31,320,700 CRC
Building and Grounds Supervisor Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 20,038,100 CRC
Building Control Officer Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 17,039,100 CRC
Building Services Engineer Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 25,440,400 CRC
Building Surveyor Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 16,320,700 CRC
Calibration Technician Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 8,975,900 CRC
Carpenter Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 10,415,900 CRC
Cemetery Manager Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 11,399,200 CRC
Chief Building Official Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 38,039,000 CRC
Clinical Facilities Planning Manager Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 39,718,900 CRC
Construction Laborer Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 7,703,700 CRC
Contracts Administrator Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 21,241,100 CRC
Contracts Manager Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 33,240,500 CRC
Facilities Coordinator Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 17,640,500 CRC
Facilities Director Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 44,040,700 CRC
Facilities Engineer Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 24,239,000 CRC
Facilities Maintenance Manager Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 36,480,500 CRC
Facilities Maintenance Supervisor Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 26,880,900 CRC
Facilities Manager Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 34,799,800 CRC
Field Service Manager Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 35,039,300 CRC
Field Service Technician Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 6,826,100 CRC
Fire Alarm System Installer Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 12,600,600 CRC
Glazier Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 8,017,000 CRC
HVAC Mechanic Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 7,655,900 CRC
HVAC Technician Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 7,919,400 CRC
Laborer Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 7,224,700 CRC
Maintenance Fitter Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 7,548,300 CRC
Maintenance Mechanic Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 7,224,700 CRC
Maintenance Officer Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 7,882,800 CRC
Maintenance Planner Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 12,239,700 CRC
Maintenance Supervisor Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 14,400,800 CRC
Maintenance Worker Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 7,618,900 CRC
Mechanic Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 8,232,100 CRC
Plant Engineer Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 23,399,000 CRC
Property Administration Officer Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 14,880,300 CRC
Service Engineer Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 22,681,800 CRC
Service Operations Manager Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 36,480,500 CRC
Technician Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 7,703,700 CRC
Tool Technician Facilities / Maintenance / Repair 7,618,900 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 26,639,300 CRC

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