Ship Engineers Salary
The median pay for a ship engineers in Texas is $127,810/year ($61.45/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $94K at the entry level to $150K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 91.49), which stretches that salary to about $139,698 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,415/month, or 17.2% of estimated take-home pay.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Texas. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $128K get you in Texas?
About ship engineers
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What this looks like in Texas
Texas sits well above the national pay line for ship engineers, local pay runs about 17% higher than the U.S. median of $110K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,415/month, 17.3% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Regional Price Parity sits at 91.49 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 9% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Combined with manageable housing costs, Texas offers a genuinely strong financial position for ship engineerss at the median.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Texas
Entry-level ship engineers (10th percentile) start around $94K. Mid-career wages sit at $128K. Top earners bring in $150K or more, a $57K spread from bottom to top.
Ship Engineers salary by metro in Texas
2 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $131K | +3% | 520 |
| Corpus Christi | $109K | -15% | 30 |
Compare to other states
Track ship engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Texas numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a ship engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Texas?
Yes — at the median salary of $128K, rent takes 17.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,415/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for ship engineers in Texas?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new ship engineers typically earn — is $94K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,614/month. At HUD’s $1,415/month FMR, rent would take 25% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is ship engineer a high-paying job in Texas?
Local pay is 17% above the national median — $128K here vs. $110K nationally.
How does Texas compare to the national average for ship engineers?
Texas pays $128K median vs. the U.S. average of $110K — that’s +17%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 91.49), the purchasing-power equivalent is $140K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do ship engineers make in Texas?
The median is $127,810 a year, that works out to about $61 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $93,560, and experienced ship engineers can clear $150,460. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $128K enough to live in Texas?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $8,176/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,415/month, which eats 17.3% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a ship engineers salary go in Texas?
Texas has a Regional Price Parity of 91.49 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median ship engineers salary is worth about $139,698 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do ship engineers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.