Average Pilot Salary in Mexico for 2026
A pilot in Mexico earns about 670,600 MXN a year. That's 68% above 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 335,100 MXN a year, while the very top stretches to 1,038,700 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 pilot make in Mexico?
A typical pilot working in Mexico brings home around 55,883 MXN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 335,100 MXN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 1,038,700 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 pilot 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 pilot 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 pilots in Mexico earn less than 670,600 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 450,300 MXN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 852,600 MXN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of pilots sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 335,100 MXN. The highest stretch to 1,038,700 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.
Pilot pay by experience in Mexico
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a pilot 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 pilot salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years401,300 MXN
- 2-5 Years+33% from previous533,100 MXN
- 5-10 Years+33% from previous710,500 MXN
- 10-15 Years+19% from previous848,200 MXN
- 15-20 Years+8% from previous913,400 MXN
- 20+ Years+8% from previous983,100 MXN
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 33%. That is the point at which a pilot 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.
Pilot pay by education in Mexico
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving pilot 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 pilot salary in Mexico broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Certificate or Diploma533,100 MXN
- Bachelor's Degree+36% from previous727,100 MXN
- Master's Degree+29% from previous939,000 MXN
Pilot gender pay gap in Mexico
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Mexico is no exception. Male pilots in Mexico earn an average of 687,100 MXN a year, while female pilots earn around 646,600 MXN. That works out to a 6% 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.
Pilot gender pay gap
6%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Mexico.
Pay raises for a pilot 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 12% every 19 months, which works out to roughly 8% 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
- Travel2%
- Construction
- Education1%
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 Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Pilot 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.
81% of pilots in Mexico reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a pilot a high-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 5% to 8% of base salary. The remaining 19% of pilots 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
Pilot: 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.
Pilot salary by city in Mexico
Pilot pay is not even across Mexico. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Puebla
- Nezahualcoyotl
- Tijuana
- Mexico City
- Zapopan
- Hermosillo
- Ecatepec de Morelos
- Guadalupe
- Saltillo
- Naucalpan
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puebla | City | 917,700 MXN | 862,100 MXN | 485,200-1,391,600 MXN |
| Nezahualcoyotl | City | 893,500 MXN | 915,100 MXN | 437,900-1,391,600 MXN |
| Tijuana | City | 890,100 MXN | 819,000 MXN | 480,300-1,345,400 MXN |
| Mexico City | City | 888,400 MXN | 888,400 MXN | 445,100-1,380,400 MXN |
| Zapopan | City | 887,100 MXN | 887,100 MXN | 442,300-1,369,700 MXN |
| Hermosillo | City | 875,000 MXN | 875,000 MXN | 437,300-1,357,900 MXN |
| Ecatepec de Morelos | City | 869,400 MXN | 852,600 MXN | 445,100-1,345,400 MXN |
| Guadalupe | City | 861,300 MXN | 791,200 MXN | 466,300-1,296,900 MXN |
| Saltillo | City | 858,100 MXN | 840,800 MXN | 437,300-1,320,500 MXN |
| Naucalpan | City | 855,200 MXN | 836,500 MXN | 433,800-1,320,500 MXN |
| Monterrey | City | 851,200 MXN | 902,100 MXN | 397,900-1,345,400 MXN |
| San Luis Potosi | City | 849,200 MXN | 919,700 MXN | 390,000-1,357,900 MXN |
| Guadalajara | City | 846,500 MXN | 810,500 MXN | 437,900-1,296,900 MXN |
| Queretaro | City | 846,500 MXN | 915,100 MXN | 389,200-1,345,400 MXN |
| Chihuahua | City | 844,100 MXN | 810,200 MXN | 436,200-1,296,900 MXN |
| Leon | City | 838,100 MXN | 874,300 MXN | 403,100-1,320,500 MXN |
| Aguascalientes | City | 832,100 MXN | 862,200 MXN | 398,300-1,306,100 MXN |
| Reynosa | City | 830,500 MXN | 814,500 MXN | 424,300-1,283,600 MXN |
| Acapulco | City | 825,900 MXN | 791,600 MXN | 431,100-1,259,300 MXN |
| Torreon | City | 823,900 MXN | 870,700 MXN | 385,300-1,296,900 MXN |
| Tlalnepantla de Baz | City | 818,100 MXN | 868,400 MXN | 384,500-1,296,900 MXN |
| Culiacan | City | 818,100 MXN | 752,600 MXN | 442,300-1,235,600 MXN |
| Merida | City | 814,100 MXN | 765,100 MXN | 430,000-1,235,600 MXN |
| Durango | City | 810,400 MXN | 840,100 MXN | 386,400-1,273,300 MXN |
| Tuxtla Gutierrez | City | 810,400 MXN | 778,200 MXN | 421,400-1,235,600 MXN |
| Toluca | City | 810,200 MXN | 860,300 MXN | 381,800-1,283,600 MXN |
| Cancun | City | 802,400 MXN | 818,100 MXN | 394,800-1,249,900 MXN |
| Mexicali | City | 800,500 MXN | 817,800 MXN | 392,300-1,249,900 MXN |
| Tlaquepaque | City | 800,500 MXN | 830,500 MXN | 382,600-1,259,300 MXN |
| Xalapa | City | 794,900 MXN | 765,100 MXN | 413,900-1,212,800 MXN |
| Morelia | City | 790,300 MXN | 743,100 MXN | 417,100-1,198,300 MXN |
| Cuautitlan Izcalli | City | 785,400 MXN | 737,000 MXN | 417,200-1,195,600 MXN |
| Chimalhuacan | City | 780,700 MXN | 780,700 MXN | 388,100-1,212,800 MXN |
| Villahermosa | City | 773,400 MXN | 803,400 MXN | 371,100-1,212,800 MXN |
| Tonala | City | 772,900 MXN | 725,700 MXN | 411,400-1,174,600 MXN |
| Veracruz | City | 767,000 MXN | 780,700 MXN | 375,200-1,195,600 MXN |
| Tepic | City | 759,300 MXN | 713,900 MXN | 403,100-1,155,400 MXN |
| General Escobedo | City | 758,700 MXN | 699,700 MXN | 411,400-1,147,500 MXN |
| Matamoros | City | 757,300 MXN | 757,300 MXN | 378,300-1,172,800 MXN |
| San Nicolas de los Garza | City | 757,300 MXN | 694,700 MXN | 407,300-1,141,000 MXN |
| Ciudad Obregon | City | 752,600 MXN | 767,500 MXN | 369,900-1,175,700 MXN |
| Ciudad Lopez Mateos | City | 752,600 MXN | 812,900 MXN | 345,700-1,198,200 MXN |
| Mazatlan | City | 751,100 MXN | 692,500 MXN | 404,600-1,134,100 MXN |
| Ciudad Apodaca | City | 746,600 MXN | 731,700 MXN | 383,300-1,149,200 MXN |
| Cuernavaca | City | 744,600 MXN | 759,300 MXN | 363,000-1,160,900 MXN |
| Xico | City | 737,000 MXN | 737,000 MXN | 367,200-1,142,900 MXN |
| Nuevo Laredo | City | 735,200 MXN | 794,900 MXN | 340,000-1,172,900 MXN |
| Villa Nicolas Romero | City | 731,700 MXN | 674,100 MXN | 394,300-1,106,000 MXN |
| Irapuato | City | 725,700 MXN | 772,700 MXN | 341,400-1,148,200 MXN |
| Ixtapaluca | City | 724,300 MXN | 781,200 MXN | 332,100-1,149,200 MXN |
| Celaya | City | 722,100 MXN | 707,700 MXN | 367,200-1,112,300 MXN |
| Los Reyes la Paz | City | 717,900 MXN | 717,900 MXN | 359,900-1,113,700 MXN |
| Ensenada | City | 710,500 MXN | 694,700 MXN | 361,500-1,094,000 MXN |
| Los Mochis | City | 710,500 MXN | 696,700 MXN | 361,500-1,094,000 MXN |
| Gomez Palacio | City | 710,500 MXN | 767,500 MXN | 325,900-1,130,200 MXN |
| Pachuca | City | 696,700 MXN | 696,700 MXN | 349,300-1,080,400 MXN |
| Coacalco | City | 694,700 MXN | 737,000 MXN | 327,800-1,099,800 MXN |
| Ojo de Agua | City | 694,700 MXN | 737,000 MXN | 327,800-1,099,200 MXN |
| Uruapan | City | 691,200 MXN | 732,400 MXN | 325,800-1,088,600 MXN |
| Tampico | City | 689,900 MXN | 660,500 MXN | 357,700-1,053,900 MXN |
| Ciudad Santa Catarina | City | 689,900 MXN | 663,200 MXN | 359,900-1,054,900 MXN |
| Ciudad Victoria | City | 689,900 MXN | 718,000 MXN | 330,700-1,080,400 MXN |
| Soledad de Graciano Sanchez | City | 677,100 MXN | 650,800 MXN | 351,900-1,035,500 MXN |
| Buenavista | City | 675,200 MXN | 728,500 MXN | 312,400-1,075,700 MXN |
| Puerto Vallarta | City | 669,100 MXN | 656,800 MXN | 340,400-1,028,300 MXN |
| Tehuacan | City | 663,200 MXN | 689,900 MXN | 318,800-1,042,000 MXN |
| Oaxaca | City | 656,800 MXN | 615,700 MXN | 349,300-995,200 MXN |
| Campeche | City | 650,800 MXN | 612,500 MXN | 345,100-986,700 MXN |
| Coatzacoalcos | City | 643,400 MXN | 656,800 MXN | 315,700-1,003,800 MXN |
| Cholula de Rivadabia | City | 641,900 MXN | 680,100 MXN | 301,300-1,011,300 MXN |
| La Paz | City | 637,500 MXN | 637,500 MXN | 318,800-986,700 MXN |
| Tapachula | City | 633,300 MXN | 660,500 MXN | 305,600-996,600 MXN |
| Poza Rica | City | 632,400 MXN | 607,400 MXN | 330,700-972,200 MXN |
| Chalco | City | 631,200 MXN | 606,400 MXN | 327,300-966,100 MXN |
| Ciudad del Carmen | City | 628,000 MXN | 652,200 MXN | 301,300-986,700 MXN |
| Monclova | City | 627,900 MXN | 578,500 MXN | 340,400-949,600 MXN |
| Nogales | City | 627,900 MXN | 643,400 MXN | 309,800-983,100 MXN |
| San Pablo de las Salinas | City | 627,900 MXN | 641,900 MXN | 309,800-978,900 MXN |
| Acuna | City | 627,900 MXN | 603,400 MXN | 327,800-962,900 MXN |
| Metepec | City | 623,200 MXN | 671,000 MXN | 288,100-990,700 MXN |
| Chilpancingo | City | 623,200 MXN | 571,300 MXN | 335,800-939,000 MXN |
| San Cristobal de las Casas | City | 619,800 MXN | 571,300 MXN | 335,800-938,700 MXN |
| Chetumal | City | 618,800 MXN | 642,800 MXN | 296,000-972,200 MXN |
| Salamanca | City | 615,000 MXN | 574,200 MXN | 325,600-932,800 MXN |
| Chicoloapan | City | 614,600 MXN | 578,500 MXN | 325,900-934,900 MXN |
| Jiutepec | City | 596,100 MXN | 596,100 MXN | 299,500-922,300 MXN |
| Colima | City | 595,300 MXN | 562,200 MXN | 315,900-906,000 MXN |
| Ciudad Juarez | City | 592,600 MXN | 643,400 MXN | 275,200-945,400 MXN |
| Cordoba | City | 585,900 MXN | 596,800 MXN | 288,100-915,100 MXN |
| Ciudad Valles | City | 582,700 MXN | 592,600 MXN | 283,700-908,200 MXN |
| Boca del Rio | City | 580,600 MXN | 580,600 MXN | 288,700-899,900 MXN |
| San Luis Rio Colorado | City | 576,500 MXN | 610,100 MXN | 272,800-913,400 MXN |
| Piedras Negras | City | 574,200 MXN | 619,800 MXN | 265,000-917,200 MXN |
| Delicias | City | 574,200 MXN | 528,600 MXN | 312,400-868,400 MXN |
| Zacatecas | City | 562,600 MXN | 518,900 MXN | 305,600-852,900 MXN |
| Cuautla | City | 562,600 MXN | 552,400 MXN | 286,400-866,900 MXN |
| Fresnillo | City | 559,000 MXN | 559,000 MXN | 277,400-862,400 MXN |
| Manzanillo | City | 559,000 MXN | 548,500 MXN | 283,700-862,200 MXN |
| Playa del Carmen | City | 556,000 MXN | 566,900 MXN | 275,200-868,400 MXN |
| San Juan del Rio | City | 555,800 MXN | 589,400 MXN | 263,200-877,300 MXN |
| Zamora de Hidalgo | City | 555,800 MXN | 543,200 MXN | 282,300-854,300 MXN |
| San Pedro Garza Garcia | City | 538,600 MXN | 582,700 MXN | 247,800-858,400 MXN |
| Navojoa | City | 537,300 MXN | 581,300 MXN | 246,500-852,600 MXN |
| Iguala | City | 535,800 MXN | 514,300 MXN | 277,400-818,100 MXN |
| Guaymas | City | 531,700 MXN | 563,300 MXN | 249,600-843,600 MXN |
| Orizaba | City | 519,300 MXN | 539,800 MXN | 247,800-812,900 MXN |
| Hidalgo del Parral | City | 516,100 MXN | 537,300 MXN | 246,500-810,400 MXN |
| Minatitlan | City | 510,200 MXN | 480,300 MXN | 272,800-778,500 MXN |
Pilot in Mexico: FAQs
-
How much does a pilot make per month in Mexico?
A pilot in Mexico earns about 55,883 MXN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 670,600 MXN.
-
What's the salary range for a pilot in Mexico?
Entry-level pilots in Mexico start near 335,100 MXN. Top-end pay reaches around 1,038,700 MXN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 450,300 and 852,600 MXN.
-
Is the median pilot salary in Mexico higher or lower than the average?
The median is 670,600 MXN, higher than the average of 670,600 MXN. Half of pilots in Mexico earn below the median, half earn above it.
-
What's the gender pay gap for pilots in Mexico?
Men working as a pilot in Mexico earn around 6% more than women on average (687,100 vs 646,600 MXN a year).
-
Do pilots in Mexico get bonuses?
About 81% of pilots in Mexico reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 8% of base salary.
-
Do pilots earn more in the public or private sector in Mexico?
In Mexico, the public sector pays a pilot about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
-
How often do pilots in Mexico get a pay raise?
A pilot in Mexico sees a raise of around 12% every 19 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.