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Average Photonics Engineer Salary in Mexico for 2026

A photonics engineer in Mexico earns about 407,100 MXN a year. That's 2% roughly in line with 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 215,100 MXN a year, while the very top stretches to 618,800 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 photonics engineer make in Mexico?

Average salary
407,100 MXN
33,925 MXN per month
Lowest reported
215,100 MXN
17,925 MXN per month
Highest reported
618,800 MXN
51,566 MXN per month

A typical photonics engineer working in Mexico brings home around 33,925 MXN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 215,100 MXN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 618,800 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 photonics 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 photonics 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 photonics engineers in Mexico earn less than 384,200 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 268,900 MXN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 471,700 MXN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of photonics engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 215,100 MXN. The highest stretch to 618,800 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.

215,100
Low
384,200
Median
618,800
High
268,900
25th
471,700
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in MXN

Photonics engineer pay by experience in Mexico

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

  • 0-2 Years
    247,800 MXN
  • 2-5 Years
    +22% from previous
    301,700 MXN
  • 5-10 Years
    +43% from previous
    430,000 MXN
  • 10-15 Years
    +17% from previous
    504,400 MXN
  • 15-20 Years
    +10% from previous
    553,400 MXN
  • 20+ Years
    +6% from previous
    585,900 MXN

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 43%. That is the point at which a photonics 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.

Photonics engineer pay by education in Mexico

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

  • Bachelor's Degree
    279,400 MXN
  • Master's Degree
    +93% from previous
    539,700 MXN

Photonics 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 photonics engineers in Mexico earn an average of 424,900 MXN a year, while female photonics engineers earn around 378,300 MXN. That works out to a 12% 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.

Photonics Engineer gender pay gap

11%

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

Men 424,900 MXN
Women 378,300 MXN

Pay raises for a photonics 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 19 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

Photonics 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.

26%

26% of photonics engineers in Mexico reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a photonics 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 1% to 3% of base salary. The remaining 74% of photonics 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

Photonics 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

Photonics engineer salary by city in Mexico

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

  • Mexico City
  • Monterrey
  • Leon
  • Ecatepec de Morelos
  • Culiacan
  • Acapulco
  • Guadalajara
  • Nezahualcoyotl
  • Guadalupe
  • Zapopan
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Mexico CityCity510,300 MXN480,600 MXN271,300-773,400 MXN
MonterreyCity510,000 MXN510,000 MXN254,700-790,300 MXN
LeonCity504,500 MXN464,900 MXN275,200-767,000 MXN
Ecatepec de MorelosCity504,400 MXN524,400 MXN239,300-791,200 MXN
CuliacanCity498,500 MXN487,600 MXN252,300-767,000 MXN
AcapulcoCity493,000 MXN472,100 MXN258,400-754,900 MXN
GuadalajaraCity493,000 MXN472,000 MXN258,400-754,900 MXN
NezahualcoyotlCity492,400 MXN501,400 MXN239,300-767,500 MXN
GuadalupeCity489,500 MXN480,600 MXN251,500-752,600 MXN
ZapopanCity489,500 MXN460,500 MXN259,100-744,700 MXN
San Luis PotosiCity487,600 MXN525,700 MXN225,700-773,400 MXN
PueblaCity485,200 MXN514,800 MXN228,000-768,900 MXN
AguascalientesCity483,400 MXN445,100 MXN261,300-727,100 MXN
NaucalpanCity478,100 MXN492,700 MXN227,600-746,600 MXN
TijuanaCity478,100 MXN466,900 MXN240,500-733,300 MXN
ReynosaCity475,700 MXN492,700 MXN227,600-745,000 MXN
MoreliaCity475,700 MXN504,400 MXN221,500-751,100 MXN
ChihuahuaCity472,000 MXN455,400 MXN246,200-724,300 MXN
Tlalnepantla de BazCity472,000 MXN472,000 MXN237,400-733,300 MXN
MexicaliCity467,700 MXN476,600 MXN228,000-732,400 MXN
HermosilloCity466,900 MXN436,200 MXN246,500-709,600 MXN
QueretaroCity466,900 MXN504,300 MXN214,000-743,100 MXN
Tuxtla GutierrezCity464,900 MXN447,300 MXN240,500-714,600 MXN
SaltilloCity459,300 MXN478,000 MXN218,900-722,100 MXN
MeridaCity459,300 MXN487,600 MXN215,100-727,400 MXN
MatamorosCity457,300 MXN431,100 MXN240,500-695,400 MXN
TorreonCity457,300 MXN457,300 MXN228,000-709,600 MXN
Ciudad ApodacaCity454,900 MXN472,100 MXN217,900-713,900 MXN
Cuautitlan IzcalliCity454,900 MXN483,800 MXN212,500-721,600 MXN
CancunCity454,300 MXN462,300 MXN222,300-707,600 MXN
TlaquepaqueCity448,500 MXN412,000 MXN239,300-675,200 MXN
Ciudad Lopez MateosCity445,100 MXN480,600 MXN205,700-706,200 MXN
VillahermosaCity444,300 MXN409,000 MXN239,000-671,000 MXN
ChimalhuacanCity442,300 MXN417,200 MXN233,900-674,100 MXN
XalapaCity440,200 MXN424,900 MXN231,000-677,100 MXN
San Nicolas de los GarzaCity440,200 MXN431,300 MXN225,300-681,900 MXN
DurangoCity433,800 MXN399,900 MXN233,900-658,300 MXN
TolucaCity433,400 MXN433,400 MXN216,800-674,100 MXN
XicoCity431,100 MXN406,300 MXN227,600-653,200 MXN
TonalaCity430,500 MXN459,700 MXN204,700-683,400 MXN
CuernavacaCity430,500 MXN442,200 MXN209,500-674,100 MXN
CelayaCity424,900 MXN440,200 MXN205,700-667,400 MXN
CoacalcoCity424,300 MXN424,300 MXN209,500-656,800 MXN
Ciudad ObregonCity421,400 MXN426,700 MXN207,800-658,300 MXN
MazatlanCity420,800 MXN413,900 MXN215,100-650,700 MXN
Ciudad VictoriaCity420,100 MXN386,400 MXN227,600-638,700 MXN
Nuevo LaredoCity419,400 MXN450,300 MXN192,600-663,100 MXN
IrapuatoCity415,900 MXN415,900 MXN207,700-643,800 MXN
VeracruzCity415,900 MXN424,300 MXN205,700-646,600 MXN
Gomez PalacioCity414,000 MXN447,300 MXN190,500-659,400 MXN
General EscobedoCity412,000 MXN403,100 MXN209,700-633,300 MXN
TepicCity409,000 MXN433,400 MXN191,600-646,600 MXN
TampicoCity407,300 MXN390,000 MXN210,500-623,700 MXN
UruapanCity406,300 MXN406,300 MXN201,100-626,800 MXN
EnsenadaCity401,300 MXN419,400 MXN191,600-633,100 MXN
CampecheCity394,500 MXN421,400 MXN187,500-626,800 MXN
IxtapalucaCity394,300 MXN428,400 MXN183,600-627,900 MXN
Ciudad Santa CatarinaCity392,300 MXN377,200 MXN205,700-600,000 MXN
PachucaCity390,000 MXN367,200 MXN207,700-596,100 MXN
TehuacanCity390,000 MXN361,600 MXN209,500-590,200 MXN
Los Reyes la PazCity389,200 MXN366,200 MXN207,800-590,200 MXN
Los MochisCity386,400 MXN403,100 MXN187,500-607,400 MXN
MonclovaCity386,400 MXN378,800 MXN197,600-595,300 MXN
CoatzacoalcosCity384,200 MXN388,100 MXN187,300-595,300 MXN
Villa Nicolas RomeroCity384,200 MXN375,200 MXN196,800-589,400 MXN
BuenavistaCity378,800 MXN409,000 MXN172,200-602,700 MXN
Ojo de AguaCity378,800 MXN378,800 MXN190,500-587,800 MXN
AcunaCity378,300 MXN365,400 MXN195,200-578,500 MXN
OaxacaCity377,200 MXN398,300 MXN176,800-596,100 MXN
MetepecCity371,100 MXN401,300 MXN172,200-592,600 MXN
ChilpancingoCity369,900 MXN361,500 MXN189,300-566,900 MXN
Poza RicaCity369,300 MXN354,000 MXN191,600-565,100 MXN
Soledad de Graciano SanchezCity369,300 MXN357,300 MXN191,600-566,900 MXN
La PazCity367,900 MXN345,100 MXN194,600-559,000 MXN
TapachulaCity362,200 MXN332,500 MXN196,800-545,300 MXN
NogalesCity361,600 MXN367,900 MXN176,800-562,200 MXN
Cholula de RivadabiaCity361,500 MXN361,500 MXN181,600-562,200 MXN
ChicoloapanCity361,500 MXN382,600 MXN172,200-572,200 MXN
ChalcoCity357,300 MXN341,400 MXN185,100-545,300 MXN
San Cristobal de las CasasCity354,000 MXN349,300 MXN181,600-548,800 MXN
Puerto VallartaCity352,000 MXN363,000 MXN167,100-551,200 MXN
Ciudad JuarezCity351,200 MXN383,300 MXN161,300-562,200 MXN
SalamancaCity349,300 MXN367,200 MXN161,600-547,800 MXN
CuautlaCity348,300 MXN361,500 MXN167,100-548,800 MXN
San Pablo de las SalinasCity345,700 MXN353,600 MXN172,200-539,700 MXN
CordobaCity341,900 MXN352,000 MXN167,100-537,300 MXN
Boca del RioCity341,900 MXN322,600 MXN183,600-520,900 MXN
Ciudad del CarmenCity341,900 MXN313,700 MXN187,500-519,300 MXN
Playa del CarmenCity335,800 MXN341,900 MXN163,800-524,700 MXN
San Luis Rio ColoradoCity335,100 MXN335,100 MXN168,100-519,300 MXN
Zamora de HidalgoCity330,900 MXN345,100 MXN159,100-518,900 MXN
JiutepecCity330,900 MXN312,400 MXN174,000-501,400 MXN
Piedras NegrasCity330,900 MXN357,700 MXN152,000-525,700 MXN
Ciudad VallesCity330,700 MXN339,100 MXN161,300-516,100 MXN
ChetumalCity325,900 MXN301,800 MXN176,800-493,000 MXN
ColimaCity325,900 MXN345,700 MXN152,300-514,800 MXN
ManzanilloCity320,500 MXN335,100 MXN154,700-504,300 MXN
OrizabaCity320,500 MXN296,000 MXN172,200-485,200 MXN
FresnilloCity318,800 MXN297,000 MXN167,100-483,800 MXN
GuaymasCity315,900 MXN315,900 MXN159,100-491,000 MXN
ZacatecasCity312,400 MXN305,600 MXN159,100-478,000 MXN
Hidalgo del ParralCity309,800 MXN282,500 MXN168,100-464,900 MXN
IgualaCity308,300 MXN299,500 MXN159,500-472,100 MXN
San Juan del RioCity308,300 MXN308,300 MXN154,700-480,300 MXN
DeliciasCity307,400 MXN297,000 MXN157,600-471,700 MXN
MinatitlanCity299,500 MXN313,700 MXN138,800-472,100 MXN
San Pedro Garza GarciaCity297,000 MXN322,600 MXN139,100-475,700 MXN
NavojoaCity288,100 MXN308,300 MXN130,400-454,900 MXN

Photonics Engineer in Mexico: FAQs

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

    A photonics engineer in Mexico earns about 33,925 MXN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 407,100 MXN.

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

    Entry-level photonics engineers in Mexico start near 215,100 MXN. Top-end pay reaches around 618,800 MXN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 268,900 and 471,700 MXN.

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

    The median is 384,200 MXN, lower than the average of 407,100 MXN. Half of photonics engineers in Mexico earn below the median, half earn above it.

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

    Men working as a photonics engineer in Mexico earn around 12% more than women on average (424,900 vs 378,300 MXN a year).

  • Do photonics engineers in Mexico get bonuses?

    About 26% of photonics engineers in Mexico reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.

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

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

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

    A photonics engineer in Mexico sees a raise of around 11% every 19 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.