Yacht Captain salary
Northrop & Johnson prints US$9,800–12,250 a month at under 30m and US$26,200–32,800 at 80–100m. YPI Crew prints €5,000–6,000 a month at under 30m and €16,000–23,000 at 80–100m. At 100m+ both guides call pay discretionary.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, as printed
Monthly pay as printed in two 2026 crew salary guides, with the leave package from YPI Crew. Each figure links to its guide. The annual column is 12 × the monthly figure (our calculation). Last checked 31 October 2026.
Captain
| Yacht size | Northrop & JohnsonUS$ a month | Northrop & JohnsonUS$ a year | YPI Crew€ a month | YPI CrewLeave |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 30m | 9,800–12,250 | 117,600–147,000 | 5,000–6,000 | 60 days |
| 30–40m | 9,800–16,375 | 117,600–196,500 | 6,000–9,000 | 60 days |
| 40–50m | 13,000–20,500 | 156,000–246,000 | 8,500–12,500 | 60 days or equal rotation |
| 50–60m | 16,400–24,500 | 196,800–294,000 | 10,000–16,000 | 60 days or equal rotation |
| 60–80m | 19,600–32,750 | 235,200–393,000 | 14,000–18,000 | Equal rotation |
| 80–100m | 26,200–32,800 | 314,400–393,600 | 16,000–23,000 | Equal rotation |
| 100m+ | Discretionary | — | Discretionary | Equal rotation |
- Both guides say captain pay depends on experience and qualifications.
- YPI says its figures are indicative starting ranges. It says rotational pay is generally 10–20% lower a month, and that pressure to offer leave or rotation now starts at 40–50m.
- Sources: Northrop & Johnson, 2026 Yacht Crew Salary Guide (US$) and YPI Crew, Yacht Crew Salary Guide 2026 (€).
Where the two guides disagree
Cells where the numbers differ. YPI's euros are converted to US$ at the European Central Bank euro reference rate of 1.1172 (30 October 2026). The gap compares midpoints. Largest gap first.
| Role | Yacht size | Northrop & JohnsonUS$ a month | YPI Crew€ a month | YPI Crewin US$ | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captain | Under 30m | 9,800–12,250 | 5,000–6,000 | 5,586–6,703 | YPI 44% lower |
| Captain | 30–40m | 9,800–16,375 | 6,000–9,000 | 6,703–10,055 | YPI 36% lower |
| Captain | 60–80m | 19,600–32,750 | 14,000–18,000 | 15,641–20,110 | YPI 32% lower |
| Captain | 40–50m | 13,000–20,500 | 8,500–12,500 | 9,496–13,965 | YPI 30% lower |
| Captain | 50–60m | 16,400–24,500 | 10,000–16,000 | 11,172–17,875 | YPI 29% lower |
| Captain | 80–100m | 26,200–32,800 | 16,000–23,000 | 17,875–25,696 | YPI 26% lower |
Gaps of 20% or more are in bold.
Advertised payFrom live job ads
SuperyachtRoles.com shows advertised pay for a position once ads with pay come from ten or more employers, with no one employer over a third of them. This position does not meet that rule yet, so this page uses the two guides.
The roleFrom the crew role guide
The yacht captain commands a private or charter superyacht and carries legal responsibility for crew, guests, safety, budgets and the vessel.
