Yacht Stewardess Salary 2026: €3,000–€10,000 a Month
How much do yacht stewardesses make?
A junior stew on a superyacht earns about €3,000–€3,500 a month in base salary, before tips. A chief stew earns roughly €4,000–€10,000+, depending on the size of the yacht (YPI Crew, 2026). The UKSA's January 2025 guide is lower: €2,200–€2,500 for stews and €2,800 up for chief stews on 45m+ yachts.
Updated October 2026. All figures are gross monthly base pay before tips unless stated, each credited to the guide it came from, with that guide's year.
On top of base pay you live aboard, so you don't pay for food or a bunk while you're on the boat. On charter yachts you also get a share of the tips, which can add a lot in a busy season. Stewards earn the same as stewardesses: pay follows the job, not gender.
Steward and stewardess salary by role
Interior pay rises with rank. Here is the 2026 YPI Crew scale for each interior role, from your first season up to purser:
| Role | Monthly base (2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Junior / 3rd stew (0–1 year) | €3,000–€3,500 | Same range on every yacht size |
| Experienced stew (1–3 years) | €3,000–€4,500 | €3,500–€4,000 under 30m, where you're often the sole stew |
| 2nd stew | €3,500–€6,000+ | 40m and up |
| Head of service / head of housekeeping | €4,500–€6,000+ | 60m and up |
| Chief stew | €4,000–€10,000 | €8,500+ on 100m+ |
| Purser | €7,000–€10,000 | 60m and up, equal rotation |
| Laundry master | €3,500–€5,000+ | 60m and up |
| Spa therapist (advanced training) | €4,000–€5,500 | 40m and up |
| Masseuse / beautician (basic training) | €3,500–€4,500 | 40m and up |
Source: YPI Crew, "Superyacht Interior Crew Salary Guide 2026" (March 2026).
Sources disagree on entry-level pay. The UKSA superyacht salary guide (updated January 2025) lists stews at €2,200–€2,500 on every size from 45m up, and chief stew/purser at €2,800–€4,000 on 45–55m and €3,000+ above that. YPI's 2026 figures are higher at every level. Treat the UKSA numbers as a floor and the YPI numbers as what agencies are placing at in 2026. In your first season, expect an offer somewhere between the two.
Two agency placement figures for comparison: Lighthouse Careers reports a median of €7,050 a month across 22 chief stew placements and €4,600 across 11 second stew placements (Lighthouse Careers, 2026). Quay Crew's survey of more than 100 chief stews put the average at €7,237 (Quay Crew, October 2023).
Pay by yacht size
The bigger the yacht, the more the senior interior roles pay and the better the leave. Junior pay barely moves with size.
| Yacht size | Stew (1–3 yrs) | 2nd stew | Chief stew | Typical leave |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 30m | €3,500–€4,000 | n/a | n/a | 60 days+ |
| 30–40m | €3,000–€4,000 | n/a | €4,000–€6,500 | 60 days |
| 40–50m | €3,000–€4,500 | €3,500–€5,000 | €4,500–€7,000 | 60 days+ |
| 50–60m | €3,300–€4,500 | €4,500–€5,500 | €5,500–€7,500 | 60–90 days+ |
| 60–80m | €3,300–€4,500 | €4,500–€6,000 | €7,000–€8,500 | 90 days+ or rotation |
| 80–100m | €3,300–€4,500 | €5,500–€6,500 | €7,500–€10,000 | Equal rotation (senior roles) |
| 100m+ | €3,300–€4,500 | €6,000+ | €8,500+ | Equal rotation (senior roles) |
Source: YPI Crew, "Superyacht Interior Crew Salary Guide 2026" (March 2026). Leave for stews (1–3 yrs) is 60 days+ up to 80m and 90 days+ above.
On a small yacht you'll often be the sole stew, doing service, housekeeping and laundry yourself. That's why YPI's under-30m figure starts higher than the 30–60m bands. On a 60m+ yacht the interior is split into service, housekeeping and laundry, and the head of each earns more.
Table settings and dinner service like this are the skills that move you from junior stew to 2nd stew and chief stew pay. The dining room of the motor yacht Taransay. Photo: ClaR85, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Private vs charter: how stew tips work
On charter yachts, tips are paid on top of your salary and can be a big part of what you earn. Private yachts don't get charter tips, but their pay and schedules are often steadier.
The MYBA guideline suggests a tip of 5–15% of the gross charter fee. It is worked out on the charter fee only, not on the APA (the advance guests pay for fuel, food and running costs). Tipping is optional, so it's never guaranteed. On most boats the captain splits the tip equally across the crew, so a junior stew gets the same share as the chief stew. Dockwalk's worked example: a $300,000-a-week yacht with 15 crew, tipped at 10%, pays $2,000 per crew member for that week (Dockwalk, 2021).
Not every boat splits tips equally. Before you sign, ask the captain how tips are split and roughly how many charter weeks the boat booked last season.
Charter yachts are where stews earn tips on top of salary, usually split equally across the crew. Taransay, the yacht whose dining room is shown above. Photo: ClaR85, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Mediterranean vs US and Caribbean pay
Med jobs are usually quoted in euros. Yachts based in Fort Lauderdale and the Caribbean usually quote in US dollars, and US and Caribbean charter guests tend to tip more.
Every 2025–2026 guide above is in euros. I couldn't find a current published dollar scale for interior crew. The most recent Dockwalk dollar figures I could read are from 2021: $2,500–$3,500 a month for entry-level stews, and $6,500–$10,000 for chief stews on yachts over 70m (Dockwalk, 2021). Pay has risen since then, so treat those as a floor and ask the crew agencies in Fort Lauderdale what they're placing at right now.
The tips gap is clearer. According to YachtCharterFleet (2023), Med tips are generally worked out at the low end of the MYBA range, while US and Caribbean tips are "often calculated at the upper end of the scale".
Rotation, leave and benefits
At junior level you'll usually get 60–90 days of paid leave a year. Rotation, where you work a set block on and then take a set block off, is mostly for senior interior on yachts over 60m. YPI's 2026 guide lists equal rotation for chief stews, pursers and 2nd stews on 80m+ yachts. Quay Crew's 2023 survey found that more than two-fifths of chief stews were on time-for-time rotation, which often comes with a lower salary in exchange for the time off. A third of chief stews received a 13th-month bonus, and one in five received no bonus at all.
Food and bunk are covered while you're aboard. Flights and medical insurance vary, so check both in every offer.
Tax: depending on your nationality and residency, some of your pay may be tax-free. UK and EEA-resident seafarers may qualify for the Seafarers' Earnings Deduction, which needs an eligible period of at least 365 days, mostly spent outside the UK. US citizens are taxed on worldwide income, and the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion has strict residence and presence tests. Get proper tax advice on your own situation.
Yacht stewardess salary: quick answers
How much does a stewardess on a yacht make per month?
A junior stew earns about €3,000–€3,500 base and an experienced stew €3,000–€4,500, before tips (YPI Crew, 2026). The UKSA's 2025 guide puts stews lower, at €2,200–€2,500.
What is the salary of a steward on a yacht?
The same as a stewardess. Pay depends on the role and the yacht, not on gender.
How much does a chief stew make?
Usually €4,000–€7,500 a month on yachts under 60m, and €7,000–€10,000+ on 60m and up (YPI Crew, 2026).
How much do stews make in tips?
It depends on the charter fee and the number of crew. In Dockwalk's example, a 10% tip on a $300,000 week split among 15 crew pays each of them $2,000 for that week.
Do yacht stewardesses get paid well?
For a first job, yes: €3,000+ a month with no rent or food to pay, plus tips on charter. The trade-off is long days, shared cabins and months away from home.
Do yacht stews pay tax?
It depends on your nationality and where you're tax-resident, not on where the yacht sails. Get advice on your own situation.
How much do Below Deck stews make?
The show and its cast haven't published verified figures, so any number you see online is a guess.
Where to go from here
If you're not on a boat yet, start with how to become a yacht stewardess, then read what a day of interior work actually looks like. For deckhand and engineer pay, see our yacht crew salary guide; chefs and captains have their own in yacht chef salary and yacht captain salary. For day work between jobs, see yacht crew day rates. For an overview of every role, start with yacht jobs.
If you're a stew looking for daywork or a permanent job, you can create a free crew profile on Radius, check in at your port, and let captains find you on the map.