Average Executive Personal Assistant Salary in San Jose, Costa Rica for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Executive Personal Assistant salary for 2026 in San Jose 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 Executive Personal Assistant Make in San Jose?

An Executive Personal Assistant working in San Jose will typically earn around 19,439,300 CRC per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 9,504,500 CRC to the highest average salary of 30,240,200 CRC.

Average Annual Salary19,439,300 CRC
Average Monthly Salary1,619,941 CRC
Average Lowest Salary9,504,500 CRC
Lowest Monthly Salary792,041 CRC
Average Highest Salary30,240,200 CRC
Highest Monthly Salary2,520,016 CRC

These are average salaries for an Executive Personal Assistant in San Jose and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Executive Personal Assistant to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Executive Personal Assistant 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 Executive Personal Assistant Salaries in San Jose

So we've looked at the average salaries an Executive Personal Assistant will earn in San Jose. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Executive Personal Assistant can earn between 9,504,500 CRC and 30,240,200 CRC on average in San Jose. 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 Executive Personal Assistant in San Jose is 19,799,400 CRC. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 19,799,400 CRC, and 50% of the population earn more than 19,799,400 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 Executive Personal Assistant salary in San Jose, 25% of the population are earning less than 13,199,100 CRC while 75% of the population earn more than 13,199,100 CRC.

75% of the population earn less than 25,561,400 CRC, and 25% of the population earn more than 25,561,400 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.

Executive Personal Assistant Salary by Experience Level in San Jose

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 Executive Personal Assistant 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 Executive Personal Assistant in San Jose that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 11,255,300 CRC.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Executive Personal Assistant salary would increase to 14,519,400 CRC.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Executive Personal Assistant, the average salary would be 19,921,600 CRC.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 24,718,600 CRC.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Executive Personal Assistant with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 26,520,600 CRC.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Executive Personal Assistant with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 28,318,900 CRC.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
11,255,300 CRC
2-5 Years+29%
14,519,400 CRC
5-10 Years+38%
19,921,600 CRC
10-15 Years+24%
24,718,600 CRC
15-20 Years+7%
26,520,600 CRC
20+ Years+7%
28,318,900 CRC

Executive Personal Assistant Salary by Education Level in San Jose

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 Executive Personal Assistant in San Jose based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. An Executive Personal Assistant in San Jose with a high school education can earn an average salary of 14,519,400 CRC.
  • Certificate or Diploma. An Executive Personal Assistant in San Jose with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 20,639,100 CRC.
  • Bachelor's Degree. An Executive Personal Assistant in San Jose with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 28,560,900 CRC.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
14,519,400 CRC
Certificate or Diploma+43%
20,639,100 CRC
Bachelor's Degree+38%
28,560,900 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.

Executive Personal Assistant 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 San Jose, a male executive personal assistant will earn an average of 18,239,400 CRC, while a female executive personal assistant will earn around 19,321,100 CRC.

This means that a male executive personal assistant earns approximately 6% less than a female executive personal assistant for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in San Jose

Male-
18,239,400 CRC
Female+6%
19,321,100 CRC

Executive Personal Assistant Average Pay Raise in San Jose

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 Executive Personal Assistant in San Jose 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 an Executive Personal Assistant in San Jose can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 6% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in San Jose for 2026

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%

Executive Personal Assistant Bonus and Incentive Rates in San Jose

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 Executive Personal Assistant is a low bonus based job, with 24% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

76% 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 2%.

Received Bonus-
24%
No Bonus-
76%

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 Executive Personal Assistant

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Executive Personal Assistant in San Jose.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Accreditation SpecialistAdministration / Reception / Secretarial30,841,400 CRC
Admin ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial10,044,200 CRC
Admin ExecutiveAdministration / Reception / Secretarial15,599,800 CRC
Administrative AideAdministration / Reception / Secretarial11,425,300 CRC
Administrative AnalystAdministration / Reception / Secretarial20,400,600 CRC
Administrative AssistantAdministration / Reception / Secretarial15,118,700 CRC
Administrative AssociateAdministration / Reception / Secretarial14,639,900 CRC
Administrative CoordinatorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial14,519,400 CRC
Administrative ManagerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial21,841,900 CRC
Administrative OfficerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial15,118,700 CRC
Administrative ReceptionistAdministration / Reception / Secretarial13,319,300 CRC
Administrative SecretaryAdministration / Reception / Secretarial13,079,500 CRC
Administrative SpecialistAdministration / Reception / Secretarial13,919,600 CRC
Administrative SupportAdministration / Reception / Secretarial12,361,500 CRC
Administrative TechnicianAdministration / Reception / Secretarial11,245,700 CRC
Board SecretaryAdministration / Reception / Secretarial13,798,900 CRC
Branch Office AdministratorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial23,040,200 CRC
Business AdministratorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial22,321,900 CRC
Business Office ManagerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial35,398,900 CRC
Central Office OperatorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial14,519,400 CRC
Clerical AssistantAdministration / Reception / Secretarial8,785,800 CRC
ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial9,971,500 CRC
Commercial AdministratorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial20,159,800 CRC
Commissions ProcessorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial17,879,000 CRC
Conveyancing SecretaryAdministration / Reception / Secretarial13,079,500 CRC
Corporate ReceptionistAdministration / Reception / Secretarial13,919,600 CRC
Creditors ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial14,038,300 CRC
Data Entry ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial9,576,900 CRC
Data Entry SpecialistAdministration / Reception / Secretarial14,639,900 CRC
Document ControllerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial11,638,300 CRC
Document Management SpecialistAdministration / Reception / Secretarial17,758,500 CRC
Executive Administrative AssistantAdministration / Reception / Secretarial16,679,800 CRC
Executive AssistantAdministration / Reception / Secretarial15,838,200 CRC
Executive OfficerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial17,519,700 CRC
Executive SecretaryAdministration / Reception / Secretarial14,639,900 CRC
File ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial9,504,500 CRC
Front Desk AttendantAdministration / Reception / Secretarial13,798,900 CRC
Front Desk CoordinatorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial17,519,700 CRC
Front Desk ManagerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial22,681,800 CRC
Front Desk ReceptionistAdministration / Reception / Secretarial14,038,300 CRC
Front Desk Shift LeaderAdministration / Reception / Secretarial16,439,200 CRC
Front Office AssistantAdministration / Reception / Secretarial13,199,100 CRC
Front Office ExecutiveAdministration / Reception / Secretarial16,918,700 CRC
Group Services ManagerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial37,561,000 CRC
Head ReceptionistAdministration / Reception / Secretarial16,799,900 CRC
Inquiry and Admissions ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial9,792,100 CRC
Key Account AssistantAdministration / Reception / Secretarial16,198,300 CRC
Keyboard and Data Entry OperatorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial9,649,800 CRC
Leasing AdministratorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial17,399,400 CRC
Legal SecretaryAdministration / Reception / Secretarial15,001,200 CRC
LibrarianAdministration / Reception / Secretarial18,239,400 CRC
Mail Processing ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial7,993,600 CRC
Mail Sorting ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial8,290,700 CRC
Mailroom ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial8,434,700 CRC
Mailroom ManagerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial15,719,900 CRC
Management Support SecretaryAdministration / Reception / Secretarial13,919,600 CRC
Master Programme CoordinatorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial26,399,200 CRC
Medical ReceptionistAdministration / Reception / Secretarial15,719,900 CRC
Meeting and Event AssistantAdministration / Reception / Secretarial16,679,800 CRC
Meeting and Event ManagerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial34,799,800 CRC
Night ManagerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial21,599,000 CRC
Office AdministratorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial21,841,900 CRC
Office AssistantAdministration / Reception / Secretarial10,080,900 CRC
Office Automation ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial16,198,300 CRC
Office ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial11,161,300 CRC
Office CoordinatorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial13,319,300 CRC
Office ManagerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial24,478,500 CRC
Office Services CoordinatorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial18,840,100 CRC
Office SupervisorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial17,159,700 CRC
Operations AnalystAdministration / Reception / Secretarial30,119,100 CRC
Operations ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial16,198,300 CRC
Operations ManagerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial35,521,100 CRC
Personal AssistantAdministration / Reception / Secretarial13,679,300 CRC
Planning AssistantAdministration / Reception / Secretarial16,918,700 CRC
Process ExpertAdministration / Reception / Secretarial20,878,800 CRC
Program CoordinatorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial19,558,300 CRC
Programme AssistantAdministration / Reception / Secretarial17,519,700 CRC
Project AdministratorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial22,799,000 CRC
Project CoordinatorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial30,600,900 CRC
Query AdministratorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial16,918,700 CRC
Reception Team LeadAdministration / Reception / Secretarial17,399,400 CRC
ReceptionistAdministration / Reception / Secretarial12,841,200 CRC
Records OfficerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial11,664,700 CRC
Registry AdministratorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial14,519,400 CRC
Registry and Filing ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial10,044,200 CRC
Rental ClerkAdministration / Reception / Secretarial9,910,500 CRC
Schedule OfficerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial9,576,900 CRC
SchedulerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial10,450,100 CRC
School SecretaryAdministration / Reception / Secretarial13,441,600 CRC
SecretaryAdministration / Reception / Secretarial12,721,300 CRC
Service Reception HeadAdministration / Reception / Secretarial17,039,100 CRC
Switchboard OperatorAdministration / Reception / Secretarial11,998,600 CRC
Technical Program ManagerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial32,519,500 CRC
Technical Project ManagerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial35,521,100 CRC
TypistAdministration / Reception / Secretarial10,932,200 CRC
Unit SecretaryAdministration / Reception / Secretarial12,841,200 CRC
Wayleave OfficerAdministration / Reception / Secretarial9,466,400 CRC

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