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Salaries by profession in Costa Rica: a guide to understanding pay
Compare Costa Rica salaries using 2026 legal minimums, observed income by occupation and industry, and references for university professionals.
There is no single official figure showing what every profession earns in Costa Rica. Pay for the same job may vary with experience, responsibility, province, public or private employment, company size, languages, working hours and benefits.
There are, however, reliable reference points: the 2026 statutory minimum wages, gross income observed by INEC, and CONARE-OLaP employment studies for university graduates.
Quick answer: from January through March 2026, average gross income from the main job was approximately ₡538,061 per month. It was ₡921,154 in high-skill occupations, ₡416,858 in medium-skill occupations and ₡333,199 in unskilled occupations. These are broad group averages, not guaranteed rates for a particular profession.
Three figures that should not be confused
- Statutory minimum wage: the mandatory floor based on duties, occupational classification or the degree required for a job. It is neither a recommended salary nor a market average.
- Observed average income: the average amount an employed population reported receiving in its main job. It combines people with different experience and working conditions.
- Pay for a vacancy: the contractual compensation for one specific position. It may include base salary, commissions, bonuses, on-call availability and other components.
All INEC figures used below are current gross income from the main job, before deductions, among people whose known income was greater than zero. Unpaid work is excluded.
Monthly private-sector minimum wages in 2026
Executive Decree No. 45303-MTSS took effect on January 1, 2026. These are the monthly floors for general occupations and academic degrees:
| Job category or requirement | Monthly gross minimum |
|---|---|
| Unskilled occupation | ₡373,092.30 |
| Semiskilled occupation | ₡405,710.70 |
| Skilled occupation | ₡419,755.80 |
| Specialized occupation | ₡487,335.00 |
| Vocational secondary technician | ₡496,838.17 |
| Higher-education technician | ₡542,096.58 |
| Higher-education diploma | ₡585,484.58 |
| University bachelor degree | ₡664,078.07 |
| University licentiate degree | ₡796,921.00 |
These are gross amounts. They are not the sum deposited after social-security contributions and, where applicable, income tax.
Does holding a degree automatically trigger that minimum?
Not necessarily. MTSS explains that the academic-degree minimum applies when the employer requires that degree to hire the person. If the actual duties belong to a higher occupational category, the higher rate must be used.
For bachelor and licentiate degree holders subject to availability under the applicable legal conditions, the decree establishes an additional 23% over the degree minimum. Mathematically, this would bring the reference to approximately ₡816,816.03 for a bachelor degree and ₡980,212.83 for a licentiate degree. Availability should not be assumed merely because an offer uses that word; it depends on the actual duties and contract.
Observed income by occupational skill level
INEC provides a different view: the average received in the main job during January–March 2026.
| Occupational group | Average monthly gross income |
|---|---|
| All occupations | ₡538,061 |
| High skill | ₡921,154 |
| Medium skill | ₡416,858 |
| Unskilled | ₡333,199 |
The high-skill group includes directors and managers, scientific and intellectual professionals, technicians and associate professionals. It should not be interpreted as the starting salary of every university graduate.
The medium-skill group includes clerical support, sales, personal services, skilled agricultural work, crafts, construction, mechanics, manufacturing and plant or machine operation.
Averages by economic activity
The employer’s industry also changes the salary reference substantially. INEC estimated the following for January–March 2026:
| Economic activity | Average monthly gross income |
|---|---|
| Public administration | ₡952,506 |
| Financial intermediation and insurance | ₡874,901 |
| Education and health | ₡860,757 |
| Professional and administrative support activities | ₡563,202 |
| Manufacturing | ₡526,373 |
| Communications and other services | ₡471,378 |
| Commerce and repairs | ₡461,845 |
| Transport and storage | ₡433,838 |
| Construction | ₡409,854 |
| Agriculture, livestock and fishing | ₡390,228 |
| Hotels and restaurants | ₡380,714 |
These are industry averages. For example, education and health combines many professions, experience levels and employer types. It does not mean that every teacher or health professional earns ₡860,757.
How to place a profession or trade
The MTSS schedule classifies a job according to its actual duties, not only the title printed in a contract. These 2026 examples illustrate the system.
Accounting, secretarial and administrative work
When a private accountant or secretary position requires a particular qualification, the official schedule shows levels from vocational secondary technician through licentiate degree. The floor can range from ₡496,838.17 for a vocational technician to ₡796,921.00 for a licentiate degree. A secretary classified as a general skilled occupation has a minimum of ₡419,755.80.
Engineering, nursing, psychology, teaching and other degree professions
For private employment requiring a university bachelor degree, the general floor is ₡664,078.07. If it requires a licentiate degree, it is ₡796,921.00. This does not claim that all such professions have the same market salary; it establishes the floor tied to the required degree unless a higher classification applies.
Regulated professions may also have licensing requirements, fee schedules, institutional scales or additional sector rules. The general decree does not replace that review.
Technology and programming
The 2026 schedule lists a computer programmer without a degree as a specialized occupation at ₡16,244.50 per ordinary workday. When an employer requires a technical or university qualification, check the monthly minimum linked to that requirement and the actual duties.
Construction and maintenance
A construction laborer appears as unskilled at ₡12,436.41 per workday. Skilled trades such as carpentry, electrical work or general welding are around ₡13,991.86 per workday, while certain specialized duties reach ₡16,244.50.
Hotels and restaurants
The schedule distinguishes roles: waiter ₡12,436.41 per workday, kitchen assistant ₡13,523.69, cook ₡13,991.86, and chef ₡16,244.50. Meanwhile, observed average income across the entire hotel and restaurant industry was ₡380,714 per month. These are different metrics and are not interchangeable.
Transport
Official examples include a light-vehicle driver at ₡13,523.69 per workday, a heavy-vehicle driver at ₡13,991.86, and specialized duties such as driving and collecting fares on a bus or driving a tractor-trailer at ₡16,244.50. The transport and storage industry average was ₡433,838 per month.
What do university-graduate data show?
CONARE’s Radiografía Laboral reported an average salary of ₡806,918 for university graduates in its study using data collected in 2022: ₡750,778 among bachelor degree holders and ₡903,038 among licentiate degree holders.
These figures provide historical context, not a 2026 salary table. Nor are they automatically starting salaries: results combine degrees, industries, schedules and career histories. OLaP conducts periodic follow-up studies; always check the edition and methodology before comparing a specific degree program.
Public, private, salaried and self-employed work
For January–March 2026, INEC estimated:
| Employment condition | Average monthly gross income |
|---|---|
| Public sector | ₡979,713 |
| Private sector | ₡459,396 |
| Salaried worker | ₡605,782 |
| Self-employed person | ₡320,478 |
| Employer | ₡615,485 |
The difference does not prove that two people in the same role will receive these sums. Each group has a different mix of occupations, hours, seniority and education.
What makes a salary rise or fall?
- Experience and responsibility: supervising people, budgets or risk generally changes the range.
- Specialization: certifications, technical tools and scarce skills may raise market value.
- Languages: English and other languages can be decisive in shared services, tourism and multinational companies.
- Industry and company size: a local small business, a public institution and a multinational may use very different pay structures.
- Location and work arrangement: province, on-site work, remote work and geographic availability influence an offer.
- Hours: comparing full-time and part-time amounts leads to misleading conclusions.
- Total compensation: bonuses, commissions, health insurance, employee associations, transport and other benefits change the real value.
How to evaluate a job offer
- Confirm whether the advertised amount is gross or net.
- Ask for the hours, schedule, arrangement and responsibilities in writing.
- Verify which qualification the employer formally requires.
- Find the occupation in the 2026 MTSS schedule and compare duties, not only titles.
- Separate base salary, commissions, bonuses and availability pay.
- Compare offers with equivalent experience, industry and hours.
- Estimate take-home pay with the Costa Rica Hub salary calculator.
- If the classification remains unclear, consult the MTSS Minimum Wage Department.
Frequently asked questions
Is the INEC average net salary?
No. The table used here reports current gross income from the main job before deductions.
Does the professional minimum apply to the public sector?
The decree cited here applies to the private sector. Public employment follows different structures, rules and institutional conditions.
Can an employer pay below the minimum and make it up through commissions?
MTSS says salary plus commissions must reach at least the applicable minimum. If the total falls short, the employer must cover the difference.
Why can a group average be below a monthly minimum?
A statistical average may include part-time schedules, temporary work, informality and a different occupational mix. The legal minimum depends on the classification and payment arrangement of a specific employment relationship.
How often should this information be checked?
Before accepting or renegotiating an offer. Minimums can change by decree, while INEC averages are updated quarterly.
Sources and cutoff date
Updated July 26, 2026, using these principal sources:
- 2026 minimum wages by occupation — MTSS.
- Executive Decree No. 45303-MTSS — Costa Rican Legal Information System.
- Employment FAQs — MTSS.
- Continuous Employment Survey, first quarter 2026 — INEC.
- Radiografía Laboral IV, data collected in 2022 — CONARE.
- Graduate employment follow-up — OLaP-CONARE.
INEC amounts were rounded to the nearest colón in the tables. For a contractual decision, always verify the decree currently in force and the job classification with the competent authority.