Average Respiratory Therapist Salary in Peru for 2026
A respiratory therapist in Peru earns about 142,300 PEN a year. That's 56% above the national average of 91,380 PEN.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Peru sit around 79,280 PEN a year, while the very top stretches to 216,800 PEN. Everything on this page is in Peruvian sol (PEN, symbol S/ ), 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 Peru, 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 respiratory therapist make in Peru?
A typical respiratory therapist working in Peru brings home around 11,858 PEN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 79,280 PEN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 216,800 PEN 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 respiratory therapist 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 respiratory therapist pay ranges in Peru
A good way to think about salary in Peru is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all respiratory therapists in Peru earn less than 134,600 PEN 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 93,880 PEN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 159,500 PEN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of respiratory therapists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 79,280 PEN. The highest stretch to 216,800 PEN, 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.
Respiratory therapist pay by experience in Peru
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a respiratory therapist in Peru, 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 respiratory therapist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years91,380 PEN
- 2-5 Years+25% from previous113,840 PEN
- 5-10 Years+33% from previous151,800 PEN
- 10-15 Years+16% from previous175,900 PEN
- 15-20 Years+12% from previous196,800 PEN
- 20+ Years+6% from previous208,600 PEN
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 33%. That is the point at which a respiratory therapist 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.
Respiratory therapist pay by education in Peru
Education lifts pay across almost every role, but the size of the lift varies enormously. The biggest premiums show up in licensed professions like medicine, law and accounting, where extra years of formal study open up seniority that isn't available without the qualification. The smallest premiums show up in skilled trades and creative work, where practical experience often beats academic credentials.
As a rough cross-industry guide for Peru: a post-secondary certificate or diploma adds around 17% over a high-school-only baseline. A bachelor's degree typically adds another 25% on top of that. A master's lifts pay a further 30%, and a PhD adds about 22% more in fields that value research-level qualifications. These are averages across many different professions, so the real number for your specific job could easily be twice as high or close to zero. The per-job pages below have the real numbers for individual roles.
Respiratory therapist gender pay gap in Peru
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Peru is no exception. Male respiratory therapists in Peru earn an average of 150,000 PEN a year, while female respiratory therapists earn around 138,200 PEN. That works out to a 9% 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.
Respiratory Therapist gender pay gap
8%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Peru.
Pay raises for a respiratory therapist in Peru
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 Peru sees a raise of about 11% every 18 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 Peru, the national average raise is around 9% every 17 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Peru:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education2%
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
Respiratory therapist bonus rates in Peru
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.
51% of respiratory therapists in Peru reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a respiratory therapist a moderate-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 4% to 5% of base salary. The remaining 49% of respiratory therapists reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Peru
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
Respiratory therapist: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Peru is about 10% 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
9%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Peru on average.
Respiratory therapist salary by city in Peru
Respiratory therapist pay is not even across Peru. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Lima
- Arequipa
- Trujillo
- Chiclayo
- Huancayo
- Cusco
- Iquitos
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lima | City | 150,000 PEN | 158,700 PEN | 69,540-233,900 PEN |
| Arequipa | City | 148,300 PEN | 152,000 PEN | 69,260-231,000 PEN |
| Trujillo | City | 146,200 PEN | 150,000 PEN | 72,360-228,500 PEN |
| Chiclayo | City | 142,300 PEN | 142,300 PEN | 71,660-222,300 PEN |
| Huancayo | City | 137,400 PEN | 148,300 PEN | 63,320-217,900 PEN |
| Cusco | City | 129,000 PEN | 119,900 PEN | 68,360-196,800 PEN |
| Iquitos | City | 119,900 PEN | 115,260 PEN | 61,580-185,100 PEN |
Respiratory Therapist in Peru: FAQs
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How much does a respiratory therapist make per month in Peru?
A respiratory therapist in Peru earns about 11,858 PEN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 142,300 PEN.
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What's the salary range for a respiratory therapist in Peru?
Entry-level respiratory therapists in Peru start near 79,280 PEN. Top-end pay reaches around 216,800 PEN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 93,880 and 159,500 PEN.
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Is the median respiratory therapist salary in Peru higher or lower than the average?
The median is 134,600 PEN, lower than the average of 142,300 PEN. Half of respiratory therapists in Peru earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for respiratory therapists in Peru?
Men working as a respiratory therapist in Peru earn around 9% more than women on average (150,000 vs 138,200 PEN a year).
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Do respiratory therapists in Peru get bonuses?
About 51% of respiratory therapists in Peru reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 4% to 5% of base salary.
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Do respiratory therapists earn more in the public or private sector in Peru?
In Peru, the public sector pays a respiratory therapist about 10% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do respiratory therapists in Peru get a pay raise?
A respiratory therapist in Peru sees a raise of around 11% every 18 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.