Yacht Crew Salary 2026
To work on Yachts, one of the most appealing factors is the Yacht Crew salary you receive. The yacht crew salary is both fixed salary and tips and bonuses. As well as leave packages and holidays. When becoming yacht crew it is important to have an open mind when accepting the first yacht job do build experience.
How much money do you make working on board yachts:
- Direct Yacht Crew Salary paid every month. Which is starting from 2500€/month depending on Yacht size, position and experience
- Paid and accrued annual leave for your yacht salary which is ranging from 40-180 days paid leave per year
- Yacht Crew earn Tips which are ranging from 500€-2500€ depending on charter yacht and size and guests
- Bonuses for yacht crew paid by Owners or for longevity, this is usually something like 1 month’s extra salary paid annually for longevity or completing the season.
What is a starting salary for Yacht Crew ?
Students that complete the yacht crew training through YachtieCareers and get a yacht job as a Stewardess or Deckhand usually end up with a salary around 3000€/month.
The average salary for working as a Yacht Stewardess is 2500€-3200€ when getting the first job. But it can be more. Here is an example of a student that after training ended up with a Yacht Stewardess salary of 3500€/month with 60 days leave per year
Example Junior Yacht Stewardess Salary
One of our ex student managed to find a yacht job 1 week after the Yachtiecareers Training week. And her first contract had the following terms.
- 55m Private/Charter Yacht.
- 3500€/month.
- + Tips during summer Season.
- 60 days leave per year.
Factors that determine the Yacht Crew salaries
The final yacht crew salary will be depending on many factors, such as if you are working in Europe or US and also the type of yacht, your experience and your position. Here are the key factors determining what your first yacht crew salary will be working on board:
1. Yacht Size Usually, the larger the Yacht the higher salary you will earn. But this is not always true, it is a good generalization. But Yachts ranging 80-120m are usually the best paying once. There are of course exceptions where a 70m is paying a lot more than a 125m.
- Number or Crew
Same as above. Especially a determining factor on charter Yachts, since the tips are divided amongst the crew, a larger number of crew will result in a smaller share of the tips. But keep in mind that a the larger the crew the larger the yacht and the more expensive it is to charter, resulting in higher tips.
- Private or Charter
On a private yacht the salary is usually higher. For a starting position such as Deckhand or Stewardess around 2500€/month. On a charter it is similar but sometimes lower than that. But on the Charter Yacht you will earn more yacht crew tips per week which will add to the salary.
- Area of Sailing (Med/Caribbean/USA)
If you are receiving a salary paid in US and work in Florida and Caribbean in the past the salary range has been a bit higher. But now with a strong EUR working in the Med is starting to become the most lucrative option for getting the best Yacht crew salary.
- Experience on boardThe more experience, skills and background education you have the higher your salary on boar will be. For a Stewardess with 5 year’s experience you can earn up to 9000€/month in a Chief Stewardess role. For a Chief Officer it is the same or even higher. But for a Deckhand or Stewardess things that will factor is experience on board and skillsets such as:
- Silver Service
- Wine
- Massage
- Beautician
- Yoga
- Hairdresser
- Hotel and housekeeping experience
- Service
- Tender Driving experience
- Diving
- Carpentry
- Painting
- Watersports
- Fishing
- Drone/video editing
For a Junior Stewardess and deckhand without experience the starting salary can be only around the 2000€ mark. But as soon as you have a little bit extra background experience or skills it goes closer to 3000€/month in starting salary.
- Position on board
For Junior positions such as Stewardess or Deckhand the starting salary range is 2000€-3800€/month.
For Medium rank positions such as 2nd Stewardess/ Sous Chef/ Bosun/OOW/ Engineer the salary range is: 3200€-5500€ per month.
For high ranks such as positions as Chief Officer, Chief Stewardess, Head Chef / Purser and ETO the salary is from 6000€-12000€ / month.
For executive positions such as Captain and Chief Engineer the salary starts from 4000€ on a very small 20m Yacht and can range all the way up to 25000€ + on mega large yachts. In a senior position you also have 6 months paid leave per year in most large yachts and rotation.
Yacht Crew Salary Positions – A Summary
Captain – 5000€-25000€ depending on experience and yacht size for a yacht crew Captain Salary.
Chief Officer – 6000€-12000€ per month is the salary for a Chief Officer on board Yachts with usually a rotational contract.
OOW – 4500€-6000€ is the salary for a OOW on board Yachts, usually with a rotational contract.
Bosun – 4000€-6000€ is what a leader of the Deck department on a superyacht can expect for their yacht crew salary.
Deckhand – A Deckhand salary on board Superyachts starts from 2300€-3800€/ month. And it can be more with extra skills and experience.
Junior Deckhand – A Junior Deckhand salary on board Superyachts starts from 2000€-3100€/ month. And it can be more with extra skills and experience.
Chief Stewardess – 6000€-12000€ per month is the salary for a Chief Stewardess on board Yachts with usually a rotational contract.
2nd Stewardess – A 2nd Stewardess Yacht salary on board Superyachts starts from 3300€-4800€/ month. And it can be more with extra skills and experience.
Stewardess – A Stewardess salary on board Superyachts starts from 2300€-3800€/ month. And it can be more with extra skills and experience.
Junior Stewardess – A Junior Deckhand salary on board Superyachts starts from 2000€-3100€/ month. And it can be more with extra skills and experience.
Chief Engineer – Working as a Chief Engineer on board superyachts can be challenging but is often rewarded with a rotational contract. They also enjoy a salary from 8000€-20000€ per month.
Chef – A Chef salary on board Yachts usually range from 5000€-12000€ per month depending on yacht size and experience.
Yacht Crew Salary — Which Role is right for You
The most important thing to understand about yacht crew salary is that it depends entirely on which department you work in. Interior crew (stewardesses) and deck crew (deckhands) have different career paths, different skills, and slightly different salary structures — though the starting numbers are similar. If you already know which direction you’re going, jump straight to the detailed guide:
If you’re still deciding, here’s how the two compare.
Stewardess vs Deckhand — How the Salary Compares
At entry level, the base salary is almost identical:
- Junior Stewardess: €2,000–€2,500/month + tips
- Junior Deckhand: €2,000–€2,500/month + tips
Both are all-inclusive — accommodation, food, and travel covered by the yacht. Both share equally in charter tips. The difference shows up in progression:
- Stewardess path: Junior Stew → Stew → Senior Stew → Chief Stewardess (€4,000–€7,000/month). Progression based on service skills, hospitality experience, and references.
- Deckhand path: Junior Deckhand → Lead Deckhand → Bosun → Officer track (€5,000–€12,000+/month). Progression requires additional maritime certifications beyond STCW for the officer route.
Neither path is faster — both depend entirely on the quality of your references and how quickly you collect sea time.
What Every Yacht Crew Member Earns — Regardless of Role
These apply to all crew on all yachts:
- Tax-free income — most crew on foreign-flagged yachts in international waters don’t pay income tax in their home country during contracts
- Zero living costs — accommodation, food, laundry, Wi-Fi covered by the yacht
- Paid leave — 40–180 days annually depending on contract and yacht size
- End of season bonus — typically one month’s salary for completing a full season
- Charter tips — split equally across all crew on charter yachts
A junior crew member earning €2,200/month with zero outgoings saves more in six months than most people earning €3,500/month on land after rent and living costs. That’s the real value of yacht work.
What You Need to Start
Both stewardesses and deckhands require STCW Basic Safety Training before any agency will register them or any captain will take them on. It’s the non-negotiable starting point for either path.
Written by Drazen — Chief Officer, 10 years on 100m superyachts. Not sure which direction to go? Message us directly — we’ll help you figure out which role suits you based on your background and goals.
