Yacht crew salaries 2026: what every position earns
Monthly salaries for captains, deckhands, stewardesses, chefs, officers and engineers, by yacht size, compared across published crew agency guides.
A deckhand on a superyacht earns roughly €2,000–€4,000 a month, a stewardess €2,000–€5,500 and a captain of a 40 to 60 metre yacht €7,000–€16,000, according to the crew agency salary guides we compared. Pay rises with yacht length and experience. Depending on the contract, rotation leave and, on charter yachts, tips come on top.
We compared 7 published salary guides from crew agencies and one training centre, all from 2025 or 2026. Every figure below is a monthly salary in euros. Where the guides disagree, we show the full range and how many guides support it, instead of an average that none of them published.
How much does a yacht captain earn?
A captain earns €4,000–€12,000 a month on yachts up to 40 metres and up to €25,000 on yachts over 80 metres. Captains show the widest spread of any position, because pay depends heavily on the owner, the charter programme and the captain's track record.
| Yacht length | Monthly salary | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| up to 40 m | €4,000–€12,000 | 5 |
| 40–60 m | €7,000–€16,000 | 5 |
| 60–80 m | €13,000–€20,000 | 3 |
| 80 m+ | €12,000–€25,000 | 5 |
How much does a deckhand earn?
A deckhand earns €1,550–€3,500 on smaller yachts and €2,700–€4,500 on yachts over 80 metres. The lower end is a junior deckhand in a first season, the upper end an experienced deckhand. Deckhand pay is where the guides agree most closely.
| Yacht length | Monthly salary | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| up to 40 m | €1,550–€3,500 | 5 |
| 40–60 m | €2,000–€4,000 | 5 |
| 60–80 m | €2,700–€4,000 | 3 |
| 80 m+ | €2,700–€4,500 | 4 |
How much does a yacht stewardess earn?
A stewardess or steward earns €1,400–€4,800 on yachts up to 40 metres and €2,000–€6,500 on yachts over 80 metres. As on deck, the range runs from junior to experienced crew.
| Yacht length | Monthly salary | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| up to 40 m | €1,400–€4,800 | 4 |
| 40–60 m | €2,000–€5,500 | 4 |
| 60–80 m | €2,000–€6,000 | 3 |
| 80 m+ | €2,000–€6,500 | 3 |
How much does a yacht chef earn?
A yacht chef earns €3,900–€11,700 a month on yachts of 40 to 60 metres. The guides mix head chefs, sous chefs and crew chefs, so the range is wide: a crew chef cooks for the crew only, a head chef for owners and charter guests.
| Yacht length | Monthly salary | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| up to 40 m | €1,900–€9,000 | 3 |
| 40–60 m | €3,900–€11,700 | 5 |
| 60–80 m | €5,000–€9,000 | 2 |
| 80 m+ | €6,000–€10,000 | 2 |
What do officers, bosuns and engineers earn?
Officers and engineers need certificates of competency and earn more than deck and interior crew. A chief engineer on a yacht over 80 metres earns €10,000–€16,000, a first officer €7,000–€10,000.
| Position | Yacht length | Monthly salary | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| First officer | up to 40 m | €3,000–€7,000 | 3 |
| First officer | 40–60 m | €4,300–€9,100 | 5 |
| First officer | 60–80 m | €5,500–€9,500 | 4 |
| First officer | 80 m+ | €7,000–€10,000 | 4 |
| Second officer | 40–60 m | €4,550–€7,150 | 2 |
| Second officer | 60–80 m | €5,000–€6,500 | 2 |
| Second officer | 80 m+ | €5,500–€7,500 | 2 |
| Bosun | up to 40 m | €3,000–€4,500 | 3 |
| Bosun | 40–60 m | €3,200–€5,850 | 6 |
| Bosun | 60–80 m | €4,000–€5,500 | 3 |
| Bosun | 80 m+ | €4,000–€6,000 | 3 |
| Chief engineer | up to 40 m | €5,000–€10,000 | 3 |
| Chief engineer | 40–60 m | €5,500–€13,000 | 3 |
| Chief engineer | 60–80 m | €7,000–€14,000 | 3 |
| Chief engineer | 80 m+ | €10,000–€16,000 | 3 |
| Second engineer | 40–60 m | €4,000–€9,750 | 3 |
| Second engineer | 60–80 m | €6,000–€8,000 | 2 |
| Second engineer | 80 m+ | €6,500–€9,000 | 2 |
What do a chief stew and a purser earn?
A chief stewardess runs the interior and earns €4,000–€8,450 on yachts of 40 to 60 metres and €6,500–€10,000 on yachts over 80 metres. Pursers handle accounts and logistics; the guides list them mainly for larger yachts.
| Position | Yacht length | Monthly salary | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief stew | up to 40 m | €3,000–€7,500 | 4 |
| Chief stew | 40–60 m | €4,000–€8,450 | 4 |
| Chief stew | 60–80 m | €7,000–€8,500 | 2 |
| Chief stew | 80 m+ | €6,500–€10,000 | 3 |
| Purser | 60–80 m | €6,000–€8,500 | 2 |
| Purser | 80 m+ | €7,000–€10,000 | 2 |
What do watersports and dive instructors earn?
Only one of the guides lists watersports and dive instructors, and that guide calls its figures a forecast for 2026. For yachts over 60 metres it gives: Dive Instructor €4,150–€6,100; Water Sports Instructor €3,850–€5,750 a month. For smaller yachts the guides give no figures.
Do yacht crew get tips?
On charter yachts, tips can add a large share to the salary. Crew Anchor writes that it is "not unusual for a Deckhand or Steward/ess to receive €5,000 in tips after a single charter". Tips depend entirely on the charter programme; private yachts with few or no charters pay little or none.
How we compiled these figures
We used published salary guides only, no forums and no single statements. All figures are monthly salaries in euros as the guides state them; none of the guides says whether they are gross or net. Size classes differ between guides, so we only counted a figure where its size class fits clearly into one of our four columns. A field appears only if at least two guides support it.
- Bespoke Crew, salary guide (2026)
- Crew Anchor, salary guide (2026)
- Quay Crew, salary guide (2025/26)
- UKSA, salary guide (January 2025)
- Whitewater, salary guide (2025)
- yachtcrew.agency, salary guide (2026, forecast)
- YPI Crew, salary guide (2026)
Sources and image rights
- Images
- Toys & Crew
- Checked
- 4 October 2026 by Andreas Lakeberg
Disclaimer. We research every article carefully and to the best of our knowledge. Salaries, prices, rules and port regulations change, and we cannot guarantee that all information is complete, current or correct. Please check anything important with the original source or the responsible authority before you rely on it. To the extent permitted by law, we accept no liability for errors or omissions.