Average Drilling Engineer Salary in Saudi Arabia for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Drilling Engineer salary for 2024 in Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi riyal. To keep things simple, we are using the SAR currency code instead of the currency symbol ر.س.

How Much Does a Drilling Engineer Make in Saudi Arabia?

A Drilling Engineer working in Saudi Arabia will typically earn around 169,000 SAR per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 88,580 SAR to the highest average salary of 259,100 SAR.

Average Annual Salary
169,000 SAR
Average Monthly Salary
14,083 SAR

Lowest Annual Salary
88,580 SAR
Lowest Monthly Salary
7,381 SAR

Highest Annual Salary
259,100 SAR
Highest Monthly Salary
21,591 SAR

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

Drilling 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 Drilling Engineer Salaries in Saudi Arabia

So we've looked at the average salaries a Drilling Engineer will earn in Saudi Arabia. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Drilling Engineer can earn between 88,580 SAR and 259,100 SAR on average in Saudi Arabia. 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 Drilling Engineer in Saudi Arabia is 161,300 SAR. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 161,300 SAR, and 50% of the population earn more than 161,300 SAR.

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 Drilling Engineer salary in Saudi Arabia, 25% of the population are earning less than 112,000 SAR while 75% of the population earn more than 112,000 SAR.

75% of the population earn less than 204,700 SAR, and 25% of the population earn more than 204,700 SAR.

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.

Drilling Engineer Salary by Experience Level in Saudi Arabia

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 drilling 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 Drilling Engineer in Saudi Arabia that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 100,580 SAR.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Drilling Engineer salary would increase to 136,100 SAR.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Drilling Engineer, the average salary would be 172,200 SAR.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 209,500 SAR.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Drilling Engineer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 231,000 SAR.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Drilling Engineer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 240,500 SAR.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
100,580 SAR
2-5 Years +34%
136,100 SAR
5-10 Years +30%
172,200 SAR
10-15 Years +21%
209,500 SAR
15-20 Years +9%
231,000 SAR
20+ Years +5%
240,500 SAR

Drilling Engineer Salary by Education Level in Saudi Arabia

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 Drilling Engineer in Saudi Arabia based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Drilling Engineer in Saudi Arabia with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 119,020 SAR.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Drilling Engineer in Saudi Arabia with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 180,500 SAR.

  • Master's Degree. A Drilling Engineer in Saudi Arabia with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 254,800 SAR.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma
119,020 SAR
Bachelor's Degree +52%
180,500 SAR
Master's Degree +42%
254,800 SAR

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 Saudi Arabia is around 83,500 to 251,000 SAR 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.

Drilling 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 Saudi Arabia, a male drilling engineer will earn an average of 180,500 SAR, while a female drilling engineer will earn around 161,300 SAR.

This means that a male drilling engineer earns approximately 12% more than a female drilling engineer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Saudi Arabia

Male
180,500 SAR
Female -12%
161,300 SAR

Drilling Engineer Average Pay Raise in Saudi Arabia

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 Drilling Engineer in Saudi Arabia is around 11% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Saudi Arabia is around 8% 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 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Drilling Engineer in Saudi Arabia can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Saudi Arabia for 2024

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

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

Banking
2%
Energy
4%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
8%
Travel
1%
Construction
3%
Education
5%

Drilling Engineer Bonus and Incentive Rates in Saudi Arabia

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 Drilling Engineer is a low bonus based job, with 27% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

73% 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 1% to 3%.

Received Bonus
27%
No Bonus
73%

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 Saudi Arabia earn approximately 8% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
207,800 SAR
Private Sector -8%
192,600 SAR

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Drilling Engineer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Drilling Engineer in Saudi Arabia.

Job Title Category Salary
Acoustics Engineer Engineering 163,800 SAR
Assembly Engineering Technician Engineering 125,700 SAR
Assistant Chief Engineer Engineering 183,600 SAR
Associate Engineer Engineering 151,800 SAR
AutoCAD Drafter Engineering 100,280 SAR
Autocad Operator Engineering 104,600 SAR
Automation Engineer Engineering 174,000 SAR
Automation Engineer Engineering 181,600 SAR
Avionic System Support Engineer Engineering 152,300 SAR
Biochemical Engineer Engineering 152,300 SAR
BMS Engineer Engineering 164,200 SAR
Bridge and Lock Tender Engineering 91,660 SAR
Broadcast Engineer Engineering 168,100 SAR
CAD Design Engineer Engineering 167,100 SAR
CAD Designer Engineering 101,900 SAR
CAE Engineer Engineering 169,000 SAR
Ceramics Engineer Engineering 148,300 SAR
Chemical Engineer Engineering 174,000 SAR
Civil Drafter Engineering 110,380 SAR
Civil Engineer Engineering 183,600 SAR
Civil Site Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Civil Technician Engineering 102,020 SAR
Commissioning Engineer Engineering 168,100 SAR
Communications Engineer Engineering 183,600 SAR
Condition Monitoring Engineer Engineering 138,800 SAR
Contract Associate Engineer Engineering 157,600 SAR
Contract Engineer Engineering 154,700 SAR
Control Systems Engineer Engineering 161,300 SAR
Controls Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Controls Software Engineer Engineering 142,300 SAR
Corrosion Engineer Engineering 151,800 SAR
Design Engineer Engineering 180,500 SAR
Director of Engineering Engineering 351,200 SAR
Drafter Engineering 108,320 SAR
Drafting Manager Engineering 195,200 SAR
Drilling Foreman Engineering 52,460 SAR
Electrical Draughtsman Engineering 88,300 SAR
Electrical Engineer Engineering 190,500 SAR
Electrical Engineering Manager Engineering 246,200 SAR
Electromechanical Engineering Technologist Engineering 174,000 SAR
Electromechanical Equipment Assembler Engineering 85,880 SAR
Energy Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Engine Assembler Engineering 80,180 SAR
Engineer Engineering 180,300 SAR
Engineering Account Manager Engineering 197,600 SAR
Engineering Chief Designer Engineering 187,300 SAR
Engineering Consultant Engineering 232,400 SAR
Engineering Key Account Manager Engineering 239,000 SAR
Engineering Lab Technician Engineering 164,200 SAR
Engineering Manager Engineering 225,300 SAR
Engineering Planning Manager Engineering 237,400 SAR
Engineering Production Manager Engineering 301,600 SAR
Engineering Project Analyst Engineering 197,600 SAR
Engineering Project Coordinator Engineering 190,500 SAR
Engineering Project Director Engineering 348,300 SAR
Engineering Project Leader Engineering 212,500 SAR
Engineering Project Manager Engineering 246,500 SAR
Engineering Research and Development Manager Engineering 283,400 SAR
Engineering Safety Coordinator Engineering 136,100 SAR
Engineering Sales Manager Engineering 228,500 SAR
Engineering Technician Engineering 137,400 SAR
Engineering Technologist Engineering 137,400 SAR
Environmental Engineer Engineering 163,800 SAR
Equipment Engineer Engineering 152,000 SAR
Equipment Engineering Manager Engineering 216,800 SAR
Estimator Engineering 146,200 SAR
Fabrication Specialist Engineering 123,400 SAR
Fabricator Engineering 79,600 SAR
Facade Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Fiber Analyst Engineering 99,080 SAR
Field Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Field Engineering Manager Engineering 275,200 SAR
Fire Engineer Engineering 163,800 SAR
Fitter and Turner Engineering 50,180 SAR
Forestry Strategic Planner Engineering 195,200 SAR
Generation Engineer Engineering 169,000 SAR
Genetic Engineer Engineering 175,900 SAR
Geological Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Geotechnical Engineer Engineering 189,300 SAR
Heavy Equipment Mechanic Engineering 89,120 SAR
Highway Engineer Engineering 174,000 SAR
HSE Professional Engineering 159,400 SAR
HVAC Engineer Engineering 187,500 SAR
HVAC Supervisor Engineering 159,100 SAR
Industrial Engineer Engineering 168,100 SAR
Industrial Engineering Technologist Engineering 169,000 SAR
Instrument Engineer Engineering 167,100 SAR
Instrument Technician Engineering 97,640 SAR
Instrumentation and Control Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Instrumentation Designer Engineering 146,200 SAR
Instrumentation Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Instrumentation Manager Engineering 169,000 SAR
Irrigation Engineer Engineering 168,100 SAR
Licensed Aircraft Engineer Engineering 172,400 SAR
Locomotive Engineer Engineering 161,300 SAR
Maintenance Engineer Engineering 159,400 SAR
Maintenance Fitter Engineering 57,820 SAR
Maintenance Manager Engineering 172,200 SAR
Manufacturing Engineer Engineering 161,300 SAR
Marine Engineer Engineering 167,100 SAR
Materials Engineer Engineering 161,300 SAR
Materials Researcher Engineering 163,800 SAR
Materials Technician Engineering 119,020 SAR
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer Engineering 187,300 SAR
Mechanical Design Engineer Engineering 187,300 SAR
Mechanical Designer Engineering 151,800 SAR
Mechanical Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Mechanical Engineering Manager Engineering 227,600 SAR
Mechanical Inspector Engineering 169,000 SAR
Mechatronics Engineer Engineering 185,100 SAR
Mining Engineer Engineering 172,400 SAR
Oil and Petrochemical Engineer Engineering 192,600 SAR
Optical Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Optical Instrument Assembler Engineering 87,040 SAR
PCB Assembler Engineering 62,420 SAR
Photonics Engineer Engineering 180,500 SAR
Photonics Technician Engineering 146,200 SAR
Pipeline Engineer Engineering 150,000 SAR
Piping Designer Engineering 88,240 SAR
Piping Engineer Engineering 159,500 SAR
Planning Engineer Engineering 172,400 SAR
Pressure Vessel Inspector Engineering 80,280 SAR
Principal Cost Engineer Engineering 180,500 SAR
Principal Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Principal Support Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Process Engineer Engineering 172,400 SAR
Process Operator Engineering 104,040 SAR
Product Development Engineer Engineering 180,500 SAR
Product Development Technician Engineering 129,000 SAR
Product Engineer Engineering 180,300 SAR
Product Safety Engineer Engineering 152,000 SAR
Production Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Project Engineer Engineering 180,500 SAR
Proposal Manager Engineering 221,500 SAR
Purchasing Engineer Engineering 161,300 SAR
Quality Assurance Engineer Engineering 168,100 SAR
Rail Engineer Engineering 167,100 SAR
Regional Field Engineer Engineering 175,900 SAR
Robotics Engineer Engineering 197,600 SAR
Robotics Technician Engineering 143,200 SAR
Safety Engineer Engineering 163,800 SAR
Safety Inspector Engineering 134,600 SAR
Safety Manager Engineering 208,600 SAR
Safety Officer Engineering 88,600 SAR
Sales Engineer Engineering 189,300 SAR
Scheduling Engineer Engineering 152,000 SAR
Service Engineer Engineering 175,900 SAR
Solar Engineer Engineering 183,700 SAR
Staff Engineer Engineering 161,300 SAR
Static Equipment Engineer Engineering 169,000 SAR
Stationary Engineer Engineering 152,300 SAR
Stress Engineer Engineering 161,600 SAR
Structural Analysis Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Structural Designer Engineering 152,100 SAR
Structural Engineer Engineering 169,000 SAR
Structural Technician Engineering 109,460 SAR
Supply Chain Specialist Engineering 159,400 SAR
Surveyor Engineering 129,000 SAR
Technical Affairs Officer Engineering 83,060 SAR
Technical Assistant Engineering 82,160 SAR
Technical Engineer Engineering 152,100 SAR
Technical Support Engineer Engineering 138,800 SAR
Tender Engineer Engineering 158,700 SAR
Test Development Engineer Engineering 172,200 SAR
Test Engineer Engineering 168,100 SAR
Transportation Engineer Engineering 154,700 SAR
Validation Engineer Engineering 157,600 SAR
Verification Engineer Engineering 161,300 SAR
Wastewater Engineer Engineering 172,400 SAR
Wind Energy Engineer Engineering 167,100 SAR
Wind Energy Operations Manager Engineering 217,900 SAR
Work Planner Engineering 125,100 SAR

Salary Comparison by City

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

City Average Salary
Abha 161,600 SAR
Dammam 164,200 SAR
Jeddah 180,300 SAR
Khubar 169,000 SAR
Mecca 169,000 SAR
Medina 174,000 SAR
Riyadh 172,200 SAR
Tabuk 148,300 SAR
Taif 163,800 SAR

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