Average User Interface Designer Salary in Costa Rica for 2026
A user interface designer in Costa Rica earns about 25,321,400 CRC a year. That's 11% below the national average of 28,318,900 CRC.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Costa Rica sit around 13,679,300 CRC a year, while the very top stretches to 38,158,300 CRC. Everything on this page is in Costa Rican colu00f3n (CRC, 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 Costa Rica, 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 user interface designer make in Costa Rica?
A typical user interface designer working in Costa Rica brings home around 2,110,116 CRC a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 13,679,300 CRC, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 38,158,300 CRC 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 user interface designer 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 user interface designer pay ranges in Costa Rica
A good way to think about salary in Costa Rica is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all user interface designers in Costa Rica earn less than 23,280,700 CRC 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 16,561,800 CRC (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 28,200,200 CRC (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of user interface designers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 13,679,300 CRC. The highest stretch to 38,158,300 CRC, 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.
User interface designer pay by experience in Costa Rica
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a user interface designer in Costa Rica, 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 user interface designer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years15,838,200 CRC
- 2-5 Years+27% from previous20,038,100 CRC
- 5-10 Years+32% from previous26,399,200 CRC
- 10-15 Years+18% from previous31,081,900 CRC
- 15-20 Years+10% from previous34,319,800 CRC
- 20+ Years+7% from previous36,601,600 CRC
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 32%. That is the point at which a user interface designer 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.
User interface designer pay by education in Costa Rica
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving user interface designer pay in Costa Rica. 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 user interface designer salary in Costa Rica broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Certificate or Diploma20,038,100 CRC
- Bachelor's Degree+32% from previous26,399,200 CRC
- Master's Degree+37% from previous36,240,700 CRC
User interface designer gender pay gap in Costa Rica
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Costa Rica is no exception. Male user interface designers in Costa Rica earn an average of 25,919,400 CRC a year, while female user interface designers earn around 24,478,500 CRC. 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.
User Interface Designer gender pay gap
6%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Costa Rica.
Pay raises for a user interface designer in Costa Rica
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 Costa Rica 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 Costa Rica, the national average raise is around 9% every 17 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Costa Rica:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare1%
- Travel
- Construction
- Education
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
User interface designer bonus rates in Costa Rica
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.
24% of user interface designers in Costa Rica reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a user interface designer 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 2% of base salary. The remaining 76% of user interface designers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Costa Rica
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
User interface designer: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Costa Rica is about 6% 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
6%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Costa Rica on average.
User interface designer salary by city in Costa Rica
User interface designer pay is not even across Costa Rica. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- San Jose
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose | City | 27,960,400 CRC | 28,439,500 CRC | 13,679,300-43,559,400 CRC |
User Interface Designer in Costa Rica: FAQs
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How much does a user interface designer make per month in Costa Rica?
A user interface designer in Costa Rica earns about 2,110,116 CRC a month before tax, based on an annual average of 25,321,400 CRC.
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What's the salary range for a user interface designer in Costa Rica?
Entry-level user interface designers in Costa Rica start near 13,679,300 CRC. Top-end pay reaches around 38,158,300 CRC. The middle 50% of earners sit between 16,561,800 and 28,200,200 CRC.
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Is the median user interface designer salary in Costa Rica higher or lower than the average?
The median is 23,280,700 CRC, lower than the average of 25,321,400 CRC. Half of user interface designers in Costa Rica earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for user interface designers in Costa Rica?
Men working as a user interface designer in Costa Rica earn around 6% more than women on average (25,919,400 vs 24,478,500 CRC a year).
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Do user interface designers in Costa Rica get bonuses?
About 24% of user interface designers in Costa Rica reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 2% of base salary.
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Do user interface designers earn more in the public or private sector in Costa Rica?
In Costa Rica, the public sector pays a user interface designer about 6% 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 user interface designers in Costa Rica get a pay raise?
A user interface designer in Costa Rica sees a raise of around 12% every 19 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.