A person working as Geologist in Colombo typically earns around 185,000 LKR. Salaries range from 84,900 LKR (lowest) to 293,000 LKR (highest).
This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Geologist salaries in Colombo vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Minimum Salary 84,900 LKR |
Median 176,000 LKR |
Maximum 293,000 LKR |
Salaries for the position Geologist in Colombo range from 84,900 LKR (starting salary) to 293,000 LKR (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.
With a median salary of 176,000 LKR, half of the professionals who work as Geologist in Colombo earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.
The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Geologist in Colombo earn less than 142,000 LKR, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 203,000 LKR while 25% earn more.
To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Geologist in Colombo compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 106,000 LKR to 153,000 LKR. About 20% of salaries are below the 106,000 LKR mark, while 10% fall within the range of 153,000 LKR to 175,000 LKR. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 175,000 LKR.
0 - 2 Years | 96,400 LKR | |
2 - 5 Years | +34% | 129,000 LKR |
5 - 10 Years | +48% | 190,000 LKR |
10 - 15 Years | +22% | 232,000 LKR |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 253,000 LKR |
20+ Years | +8% | 274,000 LKR |
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Geologist and this is what we found.
Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 96,400 LKR.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 129,000 LKR, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 190,000 LKR, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 232,000 LKR, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 253,000 LKR, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 274,000 LKR, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Bachelor's Degree | 110,000 LKR | |
Master's Degree | +57% | 172,000 LKR |
PhD | +68% | 289,000 LKR |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Geologist in order to make a comparison.
Employees at this education level have an average salary of 110,000 LKR.
At this level, the average salary becomes 172,000 LKR, 57% more than the previous level.
At this level, the average salary becomes 289,000 LKR, 68% more than the previous level.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Sri Lanka costs anywhere from 450,000 LKR to 1,350,000 LKR and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Geologist in Sri Lanka, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 10%.
Male | 163,000 LKR | |
Female | -9% | 148,000 LKR |
Individuals working as Geologist in Sri Lanka are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately % every months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% granted to employees every 17 months.
The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency
Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.
100% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while % said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from % to % of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | % | |
No Bonus | 100% |
The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Geologist in Colombo is 490 LKR. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Science and Technical Services | -100% | |
3D Lab Technologist | 98,800 LKR | -46% |
3D Printing Specialist | 88,100 LKR | -52% |
Algorithm Developer | 133,000 LKR | -28% |
Analytical Chemist | 182,000 LKR | -1% |
Anthropologist | 144,000 LKR | -22% |
Archeologist | 128,000 LKR | -31% |
Assistant Breeder | 65,800 LKR | -64% |
Astronomer | 231,000 LKR | +25% |
Atmospheric and Space Scientist | 181,000 LKR | -2% |
Behavior Analyst | 121,000 LKR | -34% |
Behavior Intervention Specialist | 144,000 LKR | -22% |
Behavior Specialist | 131,000 LKR | -29% |
Biochemist | 212,000 LKR | +15% |
Biofuels Processing Technician | 85,900 LKR | -53% |
Biofuels Production Manager | 149,000 LKR | -19% |
Biologist | 211,000 LKR | +14% |
Biomedical Laboratory Officer | 87,200 LKR | -53% |
Biomedical Scientist | 223,000 LKR | +21% |
Biophysicist | 216,000 LKR | +17% |
Chemical Engineer | 105,000 LKR | -43% |
Chemical Technologist | 96,400 LKR | -48% |
Chemist | 194,000 LKR | +5% |
Chief Robotics Integration Officer | 159,000 LKR | -14% |
Chief Technologist | 192,000 LKR | +4% |
Climate Change Analyst | 135,000 LKR | -27% |
Clinical Laboratory Scientist | 218,000 LKR | +18% |
Computer Scientist | 160,000 LKR | -13% |
Conservation Scientist | 170,000 LKR | -8% |
Data Science Specialist | 137,000 LKR | -26% |
Data Scientist | 165,000 LKR | -11% |
DNA Analyst | 206,000 LKR | +12% |
Ecologist | 161,000 LKR | -13% |
Economic Development Specialist | 159,000 LKR | -14% |
Flavourist | 68,200 LKR | -63% |
Food Scientist | 139,000 LKR | -25% |
Forensic Scientist | 181,000 LKR | -2% |
Formulation Technologist | 81,600 LKR | -56% |
Fraud Investigator | 98,900 LKR | -46% |
Genomics Scientist | 210,000 LKR | +14% |
Geographer | 111,000 LKR | -40% |
Geographic Information Systems Technician | 77,000 LKR | -58% |
Geological Data Technician | 72,800 LKR | -61% |
Geological Technician | 85,400 LKR | -54% |
Geologist | 185,000 LKR | +0% |
Geomatics Scientist | 176,000 LKR | -5% |
Geophysical Data Technician | 72,700 LKR | -61% |
Geospatial Information Scientist and Technologist | 161,000 LKR | -13% |
Global Technical Lead | 233,000 LKR | +26% |
Hydrologist | 135,000 LKR | -27% |
Industrial Ecologist | 144,000 LKR | -22% |
Intelligence Analyst | 126,000 LKR | -32% |
Internet of Things (IoT) Architect | 112,000 LKR | -39% |
Internet of Things (IoT) Compliance Analyst | 114,000 LKR | -38% |
Internet of Things (IoT) Consultant | 119,000 LKR | -36% |
Internet of Things (IoT) Engineer | 108,000 LKR | -41% |
Internet of Things (IoT) Integration Specialist | 113,000 LKR | -39% |
Internet of Things (IoT) Logistics Analyst | 89,000 LKR | -52% |
Internet of Things (IoT) Security Analyst | 89,900 LKR | -51% |
Internet of Things (IoT) Specialist | 99,500 LKR | -46% |
Internet of Things (IoT) Technician | 82,200 LKR | -55% |
Knowledge Management Specialist | 102,000 LKR | -45% |
Lab Analyst | 90,200 LKR | -51% |
Lab Manager | 144,000 LKR | -22% |
Lab Technician | 63,300 LKR | -66% |
Laboratory Manager | 147,000 LKR | -20% |
Laboratory Researcher | 101,000 LKR | -45% |
Laboratory Technician | 64,800 LKR | -65% |
Life Sciences Analyst | 139,000 LKR | -25% |
Life Scientist | 166,000 LKR | -10% |
Marine Architect | 140,000 LKR | -24% |
Marine Biologist | 147,000 LKR | -20% |
Marine Superintendent | 92,700 LKR | -50% |
Materials Analyst | 92,100 LKR | -50% |
Materials Scientist | 154,000 LKR | -17% |
Mathematician | 176,000 LKR | -5% |
Medical Scientist | 229,000 LKR | +24% |
Metallurgist | 153,000 LKR | -17% |
Meteorologist | 150,000 LKR | -19% |
Microbiologist | 237,000 LKR | +28% |
Natural Language Processing Researcher | 141,000 LKR | -24% |
Natural Resource Specialist | 125,000 LKR | -32% |
Natural Resources Analyst | 132,000 LKR | -28% |
Natural Sciences Manager | 200,000 LKR | +8% |
Neurotechnology Specialist | 189,000 LKR | +2% |
Nuclear Engineer | 237,000 LKR | +28% |
Physical Scientist | 167,000 LKR | -10% |
Physicist | 212,000 LKR | +15% |
Political Scientist | 164,000 LKR | -11% |
Polygraph Examiner | 56,500 LKR | -69% |
Polysomnographic Technologist | 104,000 LKR | -44% |
Product Development Scientist | 181,000 LKR | -2% |
Quantitative Research Analyst | 149,000 LKR | -19% |
Quantitative Researcher | 145,000 LKR | -21% |
Quantum Algorithm Developer | 129,000 LKR | -30% |
Quantum Computing Engineer | 114,000 LKR | -38% |
Quantum Computing Ethics Officer | 105,000 LKR | -43% |
Quantum Computing Specialist | 118,000 LKR | -36% |
Radiation Protection Specialist | 115,000 LKR | -38% |
Refrigeration Technician | 49,400 LKR | -73% |
Research Scientist | 160,000 LKR | -13% |
Risk Safety Engineer | 99,900 LKR | -46% |
Robotics Architect | 126,000 LKR | -32% |
Scientific Photographer | 94,300 LKR | -49% |
Scientific Programmer | 131,000 LKR | -29% |
Scientist | 150,000 LKR | -19% |
Service Engineer | 96,700 LKR | -48% |
Service Technician | 67,500 LKR | -63% |
Social Science Research Assistant | 87,200 LKR | -53% |
Social Scientist | 174,000 LKR | -6% |
Sociologist | 164,000 LKR | -11% |
Soil Scientist | 135,000 LKR | -27% |
Statistical Analyst | 96,700 LKR | -48% |
Statistical Assistant | 69,000 LKR | -63% |
Statistician | 146,000 LKR | -21% |
Survey Analyst | 88,400 LKR | -52% |
Survey Researcher | 88,900 LKR | -52% |
Surveying and Mapping Technician | 59,200 LKR | -68% |
Team Leader | 137,000 LKR | -26% |
Technical Manager | 151,000 LKR | -18% |
Technical Officer | 66,200 LKR | -64% |
Technical Service Director | 188,000 LKR | +2% |
Technical Services Regulatory Affairs Specialist | 94,500 LKR | -49% |
Technical Services Research and Development Manager | 221,000 LKR | +20% |
Technical Services Research Associate | 110,000 LKR | -40% |
Technical Services Research Coordinator | 108,000 LKR | -41% |
Technician | 62,600 LKR | -66% |
Water Ecologist | 179,000 LKR | -3% |
Wearable Technology Developer | 113,000 LKR | -39% |
Wearables Specialist | 94,400 LKR | -49% |
Wildlife Biologist | 148,000 LKR | -20% |
City | Average Salary |
Colombo | 185,000 LKR |
Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Sri Lanka is 8% on average across all career fields.
Private Sector | 86,300 LKR | |
Public Sector | +8% | 92,900 LKR |
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 176,000 LKR and 203,000 LKR. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.
The base salary for a careers like Geologist in Colombo ranges from 84,900 LKR to 142,000 LKR. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary