Average Private Detective / Investigator Salary in Portugal for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Private Detective / Investigator salary for 2024 in Portugal 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 Euro. To keep things simple, we are using the EUR currency code instead of the currency symbol โ‚ฌ.

How Much Does a Private Detective / Investigator Make in Portugal?

A Private Detective / Investigator working in Portugal will typically earn around 36,940 EUR per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 17,560 EUR to the highest average salary of 53,320 EUR.

Average Annual Salary
36,940 EUR
Average Monthly Salary
3,078 EUR

Lowest Annual Salary
17,560 EUR
Lowest Monthly Salary
1,463 EUR

Highest Annual Salary
53,320 EUR
Highest Monthly Salary
4,443 EUR

These are average salaries for a Private Detective / Investigator in Portugal and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Private Detective / Investigator to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Private Detective / Investigator 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 Private Detective / Investigator Salaries in Portugal

So we've looked at the average salaries a Private Detective / Investigator will earn in Portugal. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Private Detective / Investigator can earn between 17,560 EUR and 53,320 EUR on average in Portugal. 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 Private Detective / Investigator in Portugal is 36,160 EUR. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 36,160 EUR, and 50% of the population earn more than 36,160 EUR.

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 Private Detective / Investigator salary in Portugal, 25% of the population are earning less than 23,480 EUR while 75% of the population earn more than 23,480 EUR.

75% of the population earn less than 45,000 EUR, and 25% of the population earn more than 45,000 EUR.

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.

Private Detective / Investigator Salary by Experience Level in Portugal

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 private detective / investigator 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 Private Detective / Investigator in Portugal that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 21,100 EUR.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Private Detective / Investigator salary would increase to 25,160 EUR.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Private Detective / Investigator, the average salary would be 37,620 EUR.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 42,960 EUR.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Private Detective / Investigator with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 47,400 EUR.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Private Detective / Investigator with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 52,540 EUR.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
21,100 EUR
2-5 Years +29%
25,160 EUR
5-10 Years +38%
37,620 EUR
10-15 Years +24%
42,960 EUR
15-20 Years +7%
47,400 EUR
20+ Years +7%
52,540 EUR

Private Detective / Investigator Salary by Education Level in Portugal

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 Private Detective / Investigator in Portugal based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Private Detective / Investigator in Portugal with a high school education can earn an average salary of 25,940 EUR.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Private Detective / Investigator in Portugal with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 27,560 EUR.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Private Detective / Investigator in Portugal with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 40,560 EUR.

  • Master's Degree. A Private Detective / Investigator in Portugal with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 48,940 EUR.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
25,940 EUR
Certificate or Diploma +15%
27,560 EUR
Bachelor's Degree +35%
40,560 EUR
Master's Degree +26%
48,940 EUR

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 Portugal is around 13,800 to 41,300 EUR 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.

Private Detective / Investigator 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 Portugal, a male private detective / investigator will earn an average of 34,380 EUR, while a female private detective / investigator will earn around 35,300 EUR.

This means that a male private detective / investigator earns approximately 3% less than a female private detective / investigator for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Portugal

Male
34,380 EUR
Female +3%
35,300 EUR

Private Detective / Investigator Average Pay Raise in Portugal

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 Private Detective / Investigator in Portugal is around 10% every 19 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Portugal is around 9% every 16 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 a Private Detective / Investigator in Portugal can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 6% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Portugal for 2024

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

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

Banking
3%
Energy
6%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
3%
Travel
6%
Construction
9%
Education
3%

Private Detective / Investigator Bonus and Incentive Rates in Portugal

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 Private Detective / Investigator is a low bonus based job, with 31% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

69% 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 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
31%
No Bonus
69%

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 Portugal earn approximately 5% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
34,480 EUR
Private Sector -5%
32,960 EUR

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Private Detective / Investigator

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Private Detective / Investigator in Portugal.

Job Title Category Salary
Accreditation Coordinator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 26,500 EUR
Accreditation Manager Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 36,700 EUR
Advocate Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 23,660 EUR
Armed Security Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 20,760 EUR
Company Guard Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 12,200 EUR
Control Room Operator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 9,460 EUR
Correctional Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 19,200 EUR
Criminal Investigator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 37,380 EUR
Facility Monitor Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 19,380 EUR
Fire Chief Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 34,360 EUR
Fire Dispatcher Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 15,300 EUR
Fire Education Specialist Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 29,160 EUR
Fire Extinguisher Technician Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 10,220 EUR
Fire Fighter Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 18,780 EUR
Fire Inspector Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 32,620 EUR
Fire Investigator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 32,420 EUR
Fire Prevention Engineer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 30,800 EUR
Fire Prevention Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 23,260 EUR
Fire Protection Specialist Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 28,720 EUR
Forensic Investigator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 32,620 EUR
Forensic Science Technician Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 31,960 EUR
Fraud and Forensic Specialist Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 37,740 EUR
Fraud Examiner Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 37,740 EUR
Grants Specialist Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 43,220 EUR
Intellectual Property Associate Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 29,640 EUR
Intelligence Research Specialist Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 48,640 EUR
Investigator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 34,480 EUR
Jail Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 12,240 EUR
Juvenile Probation Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 26,020 EUR
Juvenile Supervision Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 25,220 EUR
Lock-Smith Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 9,980 EUR
Parole Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 16,140 EUR
Police Captain Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 38,780 EUR
Police Communications Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 24,280 EUR
Police Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 21,540 EUR
Police Patrol Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 16,140 EUR
Prison Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 12,580 EUR
Prisoner Custody Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 10,980 EUR
Security Adviser Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 31,520 EUR
Security Guard Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 9,460 EUR
Security Management Specialist Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 49,700 EUR
Security Manager Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 48,920 EUR
Security Officer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 12,760 EUR
Security Supervisor Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 29,040 EUR
Security Systems Installer Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 27,380 EUR
Security Technician Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 10,220 EUR
Surveillance Operator Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 11,360 EUR
Traffic Controller Law Enforcement / Security / Fire 20,520 EUR

Salary Comparison by City

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

City Average Salary
Funchal 33,440 EUR
Lisbon 36,580 EUR
Porto 35,300 EUR

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