Ship Engineers Salary
The median pay for a ship engineers in Urban Honolulu, HI is $131,640/year ($63.29/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $79K at the entry level to $193K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 110.96), so that salary is closer to $118,637 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,642/month, about 34% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $132K get you in Urban Honolulu?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Urban Honolulu’s Regional Price Parity (110.96). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About ship engineers
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What this looks like in Urban Honolulu
Urban Honolulu sits well above the national pay line for ship engineers, local pay runs about 20% higher than the U.S. median of $110K. Rent runs $2,642/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 34.9% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Cost-of-living overall is 11% above the national average (BEA RPP 110.96), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Urban Honolulu, HI
Entry-level ship engineers (10th percentile) start around $79K. Mid-career wages sit at $132K. Top earners bring in $193K or more, a $114K spread from bottom to top.
Ship Engineers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Ship Engineers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $134K | +22% | 550 |
| Hawaii | $132K | +20% | 70 |
| Florida | $130K | +19% | 1,260 |
| Texas | $128K | +17% | 660 |
| Massachusetts | $123K | +12% | 150 |
| Indiana | $122K | +12% | 210 |
| Kentucky | $121K | +10% | N/A |
| Rhode Island | $119K | +9% | 50 |
| Connecticut | $119K | +9% | 50 |
| New Jersey | $118K | +8% | 170 |
| Illinois | $115K | +5% | 110 |
| Washington | $108K | -1% | 730 |
| Louisiana | $103K | -6% | 610 |
| Mississippi | $98K | -10% | 140 |
| South Carolina | $98K | -11% | 80 |
| California | $98K | -11% | 610 |
| Alabama | $96K | -12% | 50 |
| Oregon | $89K | -19% | 80 |
| Alaska | $88K | -19% | 420 |
| Virginia | $82K | -25% | 1,450 |
| Pennsylvania | $80K | -27% | 90 |
| Michigan | $79K | -28% | 100 |
| Maine | $77K | -30% | 30 |
| North Carolina | $65K | -41% | 90 |
Showing 1–10 of 24 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track ship engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Urban Honolulu numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a ship engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Urban Honolulu?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $132K, rent takes 34.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,642/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $2,300/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for ship engineers in Urban Honolulu?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new ship engineers typically earn — is $79K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,758/month. At HUD’s $2,642/month FMR, rent would take 56% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is ship engineer a high-paying job in Urban Honolulu?
Local pay is 20% above the national median — $132K here vs. $110K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 11% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.
How does Urban Honolulu compare to the national average for ship engineers?
Urban Honolulu pays $132K median vs. the U.S. average of $110K — that’s +20%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 110.96), the purchasing-power equivalent is $119K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do ship engineers make in Urban Honolulu, HI?
The median is $131,640 a year, that works out to about $63 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $79,300, and experienced ship engineers can clear $193,180. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $132K enough to live in Urban Honolulu?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,566/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,642/month, which eats 34.9% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a ship engineers salary go in Urban Honolulu?
Urban Honolulu has a Regional Price Parity of 110.96 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median ship engineers salary is worth about $118,637 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.