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Average Drilling Engineer Salary in Mexico for 2026

A drilling engineer in Mexico earns about 348,300 MXN a year. That's 13% below 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 172,200 MXN a year, while the very top stretches to 543,200 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 a drilling engineer make in Mexico?

Average salary
348,300 MXN
29,025 MXN per month
Lowest reported
172,200 MXN
14,350 MXN per month
Highest reported
543,200 MXN
45,266 MXN per month

A typical drilling engineer working in Mexico brings home around 29,025 MXN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 172,200 MXN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 543,200 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 drilling engineer 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 drilling engineer 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 drilling engineers in Mexico earn less than 357,300 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 239,000 MXN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 459,300 MXN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of drilling engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 172,200 MXN. The highest stretch to 543,200 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.

172,200
Low
357,300
Median
543,200
High
239,000
25th
459,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in MXN

Drilling engineer pay by experience in Mexico

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a drilling engineer 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 drilling engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    204,700 MXN
  • 2-5 Years
    +28% from previous
    261,300 MXN
  • 5-10 Years
    +38% from previous
    361,600 MXN
  • 10-15 Years
    +23% from previous
    444,300 MXN
  • 15-20 Years
    +7% from previous
    476,600 MXN
  • 20+ Years
    +7% from previous
    510,000 MXN

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 38%. That is the point at which a drilling engineer 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.

Drilling engineer pay by education in Mexico

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving drilling engineer 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 drilling engineer salary in Mexico broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Certificate or Diploma
    261,300 MXN
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +35% from previous
    352,000 MXN
  • Master's Degree
    +52% from previous
    535,900 MXN

Drilling engineer gender pay gap in Mexico

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Mexico is no exception. Male drilling engineers in Mexico earn an average of 361,500 MXN a year, while female drilling engineers earn around 327,300 MXN. That works out to a 10% 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.

Drilling Engineer gender pay gap

9%

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

Men 361,500 MXN
Women 327,300 MXN

Pay raises for a drilling engineer 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 11% every 18 months, which works out to roughly 7% 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

Drilling engineer 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.

30%

30% of drilling engineers in Mexico reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a drilling engineer a low-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 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 70% of drilling engineers 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

Drilling engineer: 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

Drilling engineer salary by city in Mexico

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

  • Puebla
  • Ecatepec de Morelos
  • Naucalpan
  • Culiacan
  • Nezahualcoyotl
  • Monterrey
  • Mexicali
  • Tijuana
  • Guadalajara
  • Chihuahua
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
PueblaCity457,300 MXN466,900 MXN225,700-714,300 MXN
Ecatepec de MorelosCity454,300 MXN433,800 MXN237,400-695,400 MXN
NaucalpanCity447,300 MXN426,700 MXN232,900-683,400 MXN
CuliacanCity445,100 MXN425,100 MXN231,000-680,100 MXN
NezahualcoyotlCity442,300 MXN476,600 MXN205,700-704,300 MXN
MonterreyCity437,900 MXN448,500 MXN214,000-683,800 MXN
MexicaliCity436,200 MXN472,000 MXN201,100-694,700 MXN
TijuanaCity433,800 MXN419,400 MXN228,500-667,400 MXN
GuadalajaraCity430,500 MXN466,900 MXN197,600-687,100 MXN
ChihuahuaCity430,000 MXN464,900 MXN197,600-683,800 MXN
ZapopanCity428,400 MXN433,800 MXN209,700-665,300 MXN
Mexico CityCity426,700 MXN437,300 MXN209,700-665,300 MXN
TorreonCity425,100 MXN433,400 MXN208,600-664,500 MXN
Tlalnepantla de BazCity424,300 MXN430,500 MXN207,700-660,500 MXN
AcapulcoCity424,300 MXN457,300 MXN194,600-674,100 MXN
LeonCity424,300 MXN407,100 MXN218,900-650,800 MXN
HermosilloCity424,300 MXN430,500 MXN207,700-660,500 MXN
AguascalientesCity421,400 MXN403,100 MXN217,900-642,800 MXN
GuadalupeCity420,100 MXN406,300 MXN217,900-643,800 MXN
ChimalhuacanCity417,100 MXN428,400 MXN204,000-652,200 MXN
Tuxtla GutierrezCity415,900 MXN448,500 MXN192,000-658,300 MXN
DurangoCity411,400 MXN394,800 MXN212,500-627,900 MXN
MeridaCity407,100 MXN413,900 MXN197,600-632,400 MXN
San Luis PotosiCity407,100 MXN437,900 MXN187,300-648,200 MXN
MatamorosCity407,100 MXN413,900 MXN197,600-632,400 MXN
SaltilloCity404,600 MXN388,100 MXN209,500-620,300 MXN
TlaquepaqueCity404,600 MXN389,200 MXN209,500-620,300 MXN
QueretaroCity404,600 MXN436,200 MXN187,500-643,800 MXN
Ciudad Lopez MateosCity399,900 MXN431,300 MXN185,100-638,700 MXN
CancunCity398,300 MXN431,100 MXN183,700-632,400 MXN
Ciudad ApodacaCity394,800 MXN378,300 MXN205,700-600,000 MXN
VillahermosaCity394,800 MXN378,300 MXN204,000-602,700 MXN
MoreliaCity394,500 MXN403,100 MXN194,600-615,300 MXN
Cuautitlan IzcalliCity394,300 MXN401,300 MXN191,600-615,700 MXN
ReynosaCity394,300 MXN378,800 MXN204,000-603,400 MXN
Nuevo LaredoCity390,000 MXN420,800 MXN180,500-623,200 MXN
TonalaCity389,200 MXN396,300 MXN192,000-606,400 MXN
TepicCity384,200 MXN390,000 MXN187,300-596,800 MXN
VeracruzCity381,800 MXN411,400 MXN174,000-605,700 MXN
CelayaCity381,800 MXN366,200 MXN197,600-582,700 MXN
TolucaCity381,800 MXN389,200 MXN187,500-592,600 MXN
IrapuatoCity378,800 MXN385,300 MXN187,500-592,600 MXN
Ciudad ObregonCity376,800 MXN404,600 MXN172,400-596,800 MXN
General EscobedoCity375,200 MXN361,600 MXN194,600-573,500 MXN
EnsenadaCity375,200 MXN361,600 MXN194,600-573,500 MXN
XalapaCity369,900 MXN397,900 MXN172,200-587,800 MXN
MazatlanCity369,900 MXN354,000 MXN192,600-563,300 MXN
San Nicolas de los GarzaCity369,300 MXN357,300 MXN191,600-566,900 MXN
CuernavacaCity369,300 MXN399,900 MXN172,200-590,200 MXN
CoacalcoCity365,400 MXN369,300 MXN175,900-565,100 MXN
Villa Nicolas RomeroCity362,200 MXN345,700 MXN189,300-553,800 MXN
UruapanCity361,600 MXN367,900 MXN176,800-562,200 MXN
XicoCity359,900 MXN366,200 MXN176,800-559,000 MXN
Ciudad Santa CatarinaCity357,300 MXN382,600 MXN161,600-565,100 MXN
TampicoCity354,000 MXN382,600 MXN161,600-562,600 MXN
Ciudad VictoriaCity351,900 MXN339,100 MXN183,600-535,900 MXN
Los Reyes la PazCity351,900 MXN359,900 MXN172,200-548,500 MXN
IxtapalucaCity348,300 MXN377,200 MXN159,500-553,400 MXN
Soledad de Graciano SanchezCity348,300 MXN378,300 MXN159,500-555,800 MXN
MonclovaCity345,100 MXN330,900 MXN180,300-525,700 MXN
La PazCity345,100 MXN351,900 MXN169,000-535,900 MXN
Gomez PalacioCity341,900 MXN369,300 MXN159,100-545,300 MXN
PachucaCity340,400 MXN345,700 MXN168,100-529,600 MXN
Los MochisCity340,400 MXN325,900 MXN176,800-518,900 MXN
TehuacanCity340,000 MXN325,600 MXN176,800-519,300 MXN
MetepecCity335,100 MXN362,200 MXN152,300-533,100 MXN
OaxacaCity330,900 MXN340,000 MXN161,300-518,300 MXN
Ojo de AguaCity330,900 MXN339,100 MXN161,300-514,800 MXN
AcunaCity327,800 MXN353,600 MXN152,100-522,700 MXN
BuenavistaCity327,800 MXN351,200 MXN151,800-518,900 MXN
CampecheCity327,300 MXN335,100 MXN159,500-513,300 MXN
Poza RicaCity327,300 MXN354,000 MXN152,100-520,900 MXN
TapachulaCity325,600 MXN311,700 MXN169,000-499,300 MXN
CoatzacoalcosCity320,500 MXN345,700 MXN148,300-510,200 MXN
Ciudad del CarmenCity320,500 MXN309,800 MXN168,100-492,400 MXN
Puerto VallartaCity319,600 MXN308,900 MXN168,100-491,000 MXN
Ciudad JuarezCity314,500 MXN340,000 MXN142,300-499,300 MXN
NogalesCity313,700 MXN340,400 MXN146,200-502,200 MXN
San Pablo de las SalinasCity313,700 MXN340,400 MXN146,200-502,200 MXN
ChicoloapanCity311,700 MXN318,800 MXN152,000-485,200 MXN
SalamancaCity311,700 MXN318,800 MXN152,000-485,200 MXN
San Cristobal de las CasasCity309,800 MXN296,000 MXN159,500-472,000 MXN
ChilpancingoCity309,800 MXN296,000 MXN159,500-472,000 MXN
Piedras NegrasCity308,300 MXN332,100 MXN143,200-492,400 MXN
CuautlaCity301,800 MXN286,400 MXN157,600-459,700 MXN
ColimaCity301,700 MXN308,300 MXN150,000-472,100 MXN
San Luis Rio ColoradoCity301,700 MXN308,300 MXN150,000-472,100 MXN
Cholula de RivadabiaCity301,700 MXN308,300 MXN150,000-472,000 MXN
ChalcoCity299,500 MXN320,500 MXN137,400-472,000 MXN
San Juan del RioCity294,700 MXN297,000 MXN142,300-454,900 MXN
JiutepecCity294,700 MXN299,500 MXN143,200-454,900 MXN
Zamora de HidalgoCity294,700 MXN282,300 MXN152,300-453,200 MXN
Ciudad VallesCity294,300 MXN315,900 MXN136,200-466,900 MXN
CordobaCity294,300 MXN318,800 MXN136,200-467,100 MXN
DeliciasCity288,100 MXN275,800 MXN150,000-437,900 MXN
ChetumalCity286,400 MXN275,800 MXN151,800-442,200 MXN
Boca del RioCity283,700 MXN292,000 MXN138,800-444,300 MXN
Playa del CarmenCity283,400 MXN301,700 MXN128,500-448,500 MXN
ZacatecasCity281,500 MXN271,300 MXN148,300-431,100 MXN
GuaymasCity281,500 MXN288,100 MXN139,100-436,200 MXN
IgualaCity279,400 MXN301,300 MXN129,000-445,100 MXN
FresnilloCity273,000 MXN281,500 MXN136,100-426,700 MXN
ManzanilloCity271,300 MXN259,100 MXN138,800-414,000 MXN
OrizabaCity267,100 MXN258,400 MXN138,200-409,000 MXN
Hidalgo del ParralCity266,000 MXN254,800 MXN139,100-407,100 MXN
NavojoaCity263,200 MXN282,300 MXN119,700-417,200 MXN
MinatitlanCity263,200 MXN266,000 MXN129,000-407,100 MXN
San Pedro Garza GarciaCity263,100 MXN282,300 MXN119,900-419,400 MXN

Drilling Engineer in Mexico: FAQs

  • How much does a drilling engineer make per month in Mexico?

    A drilling engineer in Mexico earns about 29,025 MXN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 348,300 MXN.

  • What's the salary range for a drilling engineer in Mexico?

    Entry-level drilling engineers in Mexico start near 172,200 MXN. Top-end pay reaches around 543,200 MXN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 239,000 and 459,300 MXN.

  • Is the median drilling engineer salary in Mexico higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 357,300 MXN, higher than the average of 348,300 MXN. Half of drilling engineers in Mexico earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for drilling engineers in Mexico?

    Men working as a drilling engineer in Mexico earn around 10% more than women on average (361,500 vs 327,300 MXN a year).

  • Do drilling engineers in Mexico get bonuses?

    About 30% of drilling engineers in Mexico reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.

  • Do drilling engineers earn more in the public or private sector in Mexico?

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

  • How often do drilling engineers in Mexico get a pay raise?

    A drilling engineer in Mexico sees a raise of around 11% every 18 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.