Czech salary guide: Do you earn more than the national average for your industry?

According to official statistics, Czechia’s average gross monthly wage is CZK 46,000 as of the final quarter of last year – an impressive rise of over CZK 10,000 compared to the same time in 2020. Salaries, however, range widely through different sectors and industries in Czechia. Where you live in the country also impacts how much you can earn.

Using available and new data from salary-information sites Platy.cz (offered in English), which researches and pools together tens of thousands of up-to-date individual salaries from across Czech industries, we have compiled an approximate guide to the average monthly gross salary for different professions in Czechia.

One of the lowest-paid professions across Czechia is in the services sector – employees earn an average of CZK 31,000 monthly before tax. A hairdresser, for example, earns between CZK 21,000 and CZK 38,000, with a median wage of CZK 29,500. An employee at a service station earns a median salary of CZK 28,700. The average beautician earns CZK 32,400.

The gastronomy, hotel, and tourism industry is also relatively low-earning in Czechia, seeing an average salary of CZK 32,700. Bartenders earn between CZK 20,400 and CZK 44,000, with a median wage of CZK 32,000. Waiters earn slightly more on average, taking home almost CZK 34,000. Hotel porters earn just CZK 30,000 monthly, whereas flight stewardesses on Czech airlines are on the upper end of the pay scale, getting CZK 39,000 on average. 

The administrative sector also sees a below-average wage in the country; employees in this industry earn CZK 37,400. Receptionists earn CZK 31,800 monthly, archivists get CZK 34,000, and secretaries take home CZK 36,200.

The broad education sector presents among the widest ranges of salaries, with an average monthly wage of CZK 40,200. Kindergarten teachers receive around CZK 41,000, elementary school teachers get CZK 52,000, and high school teachers see a salary of CZK 54,400. The Ministry of Education announced in March that salaries for these professions rose by just 3.4 percent last year, though the 2024 commitment to paying teachers 130 percent of the national average wage will see teachers get substantially more money this year.

University lecturers earn an average of CZK 50,000 (though this ranges substantially based on university and faculty, with arts faculties earning notably less and those for medicine and technology more), and professors earn slightly over CZK 100,000 on average, often going up to CZK 150,000 or higher. 

Careers in journalism, print, and media get a little over CZK 40,000 per month on average. Graphic designers have an average salary of CZK 39,300, film-production assistants get around CZK 43,500, and journalists receive CZK 49,200.

Employees in the marketing, advertising, and public relations sector get CZK 48,600 per month. A marketing executive earns CZK 47,200, social media managers get CZK 50,000, SEO analysts earn CZK 54,000, and a head digital marketing manager takes home about CZK 74,000 per month.

The human resources industry similarly pays out an average of close to CZK 50,000 monthly. Recruiters can expect to earn CZK 51,700 (including commission), and a human resources assistant gets about CZK 42,500. 

In the field of commerce, an average sales representative gets paid CZK 51,000 on average, with key account managers earning an average of around CZK 72,000.

Employees in the finance, business and accounting industry get around CZK 50,000 on average monthly, but these figures also vary widely. According to Platy.cz, financial advisors earn a median salary of CZK 65,700, though this can rise to over CZK 105,000. Tax advisors earn a healthy CZK 96,100 on average, and financial consultants get CZK 64,000. The average auditor is paid CZK 56,900 per month.

In the business sphere – home to many working expats in Czechia – a business development manager earns CZK 90,000 on average, and a project manager gets around CZK 65,000 monthly. Consultants take home an average CZK 63,700.

The average monthly pay in the banking industry is CZK 56,000. A banking financial analyst receives CZK 63,400 on average, brokers get the same amount, and traders get around CZK 100,000 on average – but this can range much higher. A corporate client relationship manager also takes home an impressive CZK 93,200, whereas credit specialists earn about CZK 60,000.

The IT industry – hiring a large proportion of expats in Czechia – has an average salary of almost CZK 74,000, the highest figure out of all industries. Backend developers get over CZK 80,000, with earners in upper percentiles receiving over CZK 115,000. IT analysts get CZK 70,000 on average, web designers earn CZK 56,800, and programmers get CZK 76,000 (though this depends on the language; Android and Java coders, for example, can earn around CZK 115,000 monthly).

Top managers, directors, and CEOs in Czechia – perhaps unsurprisingly – earn the highest average salary, at CZK 117,000 per month. A financial director earns between CZK 73,400 and CZK 187,800 monthly, with a median monthly wage of CZK 130,600. Human resources directors earn similar, at CZK 126,000, and the average Czech CEO earns CZK 192,000 monthly. 

Where you work in Czechia also makes a big difference in terms of earnings. Employees in Prague enjoy the highest salaries – according to data from the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO), people in the capital earned CZK 55,900 on average in the fourth quarter of 2023. Central Bohemian workers had the second-highest monthly income, at CZK 46,535, followed close behind by people in South Moravia. The Karlovy Vary region had the lowest monthly income, at CZK 40,560.

Education levels also have an impact. People with a postgraduate doctoral degree earn around CZK 66,500 on average, and those with a bachelor’s get CZK 54,600. A person with a high school diploma earns about CZK 44,000. Someone with just basic primary education can expect to earn around CZK 33,400 on average.

Czechia’s gender pay gap also means that women earn less for the same position held and work done across several industries. According to Eurostat, Czechia has an 18-percent gender pay gap (meaning women, on average, get paid 18 percent less for the same job). 

Among university-educated people, the pay gap widens to 25 percent. Based on data from Platy.cz, male middle-level managers get paid CZK 13,000 more per month than their female counterparts for the same role – this rises to over CZK 38,000 more for top management positions.  

Last year, salaries increased by an impressive 7.5 percent nominally, but – due to high inflation – fell by 2.9 percent in real terms. With inflation in 2024 abating, analysts believe real wages should grow by between 3 and 4 percent this year.

“This would be the best result since 2019, which will help households solidly gain purchasing power and consumer spending to support the economy's growth," UniCredit Bank Chief Economist Pavel Sobíšek told the CZSO.

A survey from the beginning of this year also found that the majority of companies in Czechia were planning to bump up wages by between 5 and 10 percent this year.

"Wages will grow the most particularly where there is the greatest shortage of applicants,” director of staffing agency Grafton Recruitment Martin Malo said earlier this year. Malo also mentions that “the most critical situation” in the country’s labor market gap is the lack of qualified production experts and craftsmen.

Research from the Czech Chamber of Commerce in late 2023 found that most industries in Czechia will see pay rises of up to 10 percent this year, with the manufacturing, construction, and gastronomy sectors being slightly more generous with salaries.