Average Surgeon - Cardiothoracic Salary in Peru for 2026
A cardiothoracic surgeon in Peru earns about 369,300 PEN a year. That's 304% 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 172,200 PEN a year, while the very top stretches to 585,900 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 cardiothoracic surgeon make in Peru?
A typical cardiothoracic surgeon working in Peru brings home around 30,775 PEN a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 172,200 PEN, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 585,900 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 cardiothoracic surgeon 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 cardiothoracic surgeon 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 cardiothoracic surgeons in Peru earn less than 392,300 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 254,700 PEN (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 519,300 PEN (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of cardiothoracic surgeons sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 172,200 PEN. The highest stretch to 585,900 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.
Cardiothoracic surgeon pay by experience in Peru
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a cardiothoracic surgeon 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 cardiothoracic surgeon salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years200,000 PEN
- 2-5 Years+38% from previous275,500 PEN
- 5-10 Years+43% from previous394,800 PEN
- 10-15 Years+22% from previous480,600 PEN
- 15-20 Years+5% from previous504,500 PEN
- 20+ Years+9% from previous552,400 PEN
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 cardiothoracic surgeon 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.
Cardiothoracic surgeon 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.
Cardiothoracic surgeon gender pay gap in Peru
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Peru is no exception. Male cardiothoracic surgeons in Peru earn an average of 389,200 PEN a year, while female cardiothoracic surgeons earn around 354,000 PEN. That works out to a 10% 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.
Surgeon - Cardiothoracic gender pay gap
9%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Peru.
Pay raises for a cardiothoracic surgeon 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 15% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 11% 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
Cardiothoracic surgeon 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.
88% of cardiothoracic surgeons in Peru reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a cardiothoracic surgeon 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 9% of base salary. The remaining 12% of cardiothoracic surgeons 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
Cardiothoracic surgeon: 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.
Cardiothoracic surgeon salary by city in Peru
Cardiothoracic surgeon 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
- Huancayo
- Cusco
- Chiclayo
- Iquitos
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lima | City | 397,900 PEN | 367,200 PEN | 215,100-603,400 PEN |
| Arequipa | City | 384,500 PEN | 361,500 PEN | 205,700-588,500 PEN |
| Trujillo | City | 371,100 PEN | 357,300 PEN | 191,600-566,900 PEN |
| Huancayo | City | 366,200 PEN | 394,500 PEN | 167,100-582,700 PEN |
| Cusco | City | 362,200 PEN | 376,800 PEN | 172,200-566,900 PEN |
| Chiclayo | City | 357,700 PEN | 352,000 PEN | 183,600-551,200 PEN |
| Iquitos | City | 313,700 PEN | 322,600 PEN | 154,700-493,000 PEN |
Surgeon - Cardiothoracic in Peru: FAQs
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How much does a cardiothoracic surgeon make per month in Peru?
A cardiothoracic surgeon in Peru earns about 30,775 PEN a month before tax, based on an annual average of 369,300 PEN.
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What's the salary range for a cardiothoracic surgeon in Peru?
Entry-level cardiothoracic surgeons in Peru start near 172,200 PEN. Top-end pay reaches around 585,900 PEN. The middle 50% of earners sit between 254,700 and 519,300 PEN.
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Is the median cardiothoracic surgeon salary in Peru higher or lower than the average?
The median is 392,300 PEN, higher than the average of 369,300 PEN. Half of cardiothoracic surgeons in Peru earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for cardiothoracic surgeons in Peru?
Men working as a cardiothoracic surgeon in Peru earn around 10% more than women on average (389,200 vs 354,000 PEN a year).
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Do cardiothoracic surgeons in Peru get bonuses?
About 88% of cardiothoracic surgeons in Peru reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 9% of base salary.
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Do cardiothoracic surgeons earn more in the public or private sector in Peru?
In Peru, the public sector pays a cardiothoracic surgeon 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 cardiothoracic surgeons in Peru get a pay raise?
A cardiothoracic surgeon in Peru sees a raise of around 15% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 11% a year.