Average Art Therapist Salary in Brazil for 2026
An art therapist in Brazil earns about 77,640 BRL a year. That's 23% below the national average of 101,120 BRL.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Brazil sit around 34,360 BRL a year, while the very top stretches to 119,900 BRL. Everything on this page is in Brazilian real (BRL, symbol R$), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Brazil, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does an art therapist make in Brazil?
A typical art therapist working in Brazil brings home around 6,470 BRL a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 34,360 BRL, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 119,900 BRL for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior art therapist working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How art therapist pay ranges in Brazil
A good way to think about salary in Brazil is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all art therapists in Brazil earn less than 81,960 BRL a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 53,840 BRL (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 109,460 BRL (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of art therapists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 34,360 BRL. The highest stretch to 119,900 BRL, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Art therapist pay by experience in Brazil
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an art therapist in Brazil, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical art therapist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years39,560 BRL
- 2-5 Years+35% from previous53,380 BRL
- 5-10 Years+48% from previous78,940 BRL
- 10-15 Years+21% from previous95,420 BRL
- 15-20 Years+9% from previous104,440 BRL
- 20+ Years+10% from previous114,380 BRL
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 48%. That is the point at which a art therapist typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Art therapist pay by education in Brazil
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving art therapist pay in Brazil. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average art therapist salary in Brazil broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School48,340 BRL
- Certificate or Diploma+82% from previous87,940 BRL
Art therapist gender pay gap in Brazil
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Brazil is no exception. Male art therapists in Brazil earn an average of 69,720 BRL a year, while female art therapists earn around 80,280 BRL. That works out to a 13% gap in favour of women, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Art Therapist gender pay gap
13%
Men earn this much less than women on average in Brazil.
Pay raises for an art therapist in Brazil
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Brazil sees a raise of about 12% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 9% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Brazil, the national average raise is around 9% every 16 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Brazil:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Art therapist bonus rates in Brazil
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
59% of art therapists in Brazil reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an art therapist a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary. The remaining 41% of art therapists reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Brazil
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Art therapist: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Brazil is about 7% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
7%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Brazil on average.
Art therapist salary by city in Brazil
Art therapist pay is not even across Brazil. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Brasilia
- Belo Horizonte
- Sao Paulo
- Manaus
- Recife
- Rio de Janeiro
- Fortaleza
- Belem
- Maceio
- Curitiba
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brasilia | City | 91,560 BRL | 97,760 BRL | 41,180-143,200 BRL |
| Belo Horizonte | City | 88,580 BRL | 93,340 BRL | 39,560-139,100 BRL |
| Sao Paulo | City | 87,640 BRL | 95,420 BRL | 42,320-142,300 BRL |
| Manaus | City | 85,700 BRL | 95,760 BRL | 39,560-139,100 BRL |
| Recife | City | 83,760 BRL | 91,560 BRL | 38,680-130,400 BRL |
| Rio de Janeiro | City | 83,640 BRL | 89,960 BRL | 39,800-136,100 BRL |
| Fortaleza | City | 83,420 BRL | 87,940 BRL | 38,060-130,400 BRL |
| Belem | City | 83,400 BRL | 88,300 BRL | 39,640-130,400 BRL |
| Maceio | City | 82,480 BRL | 88,260 BRL | 36,700-129,000 BRL |
| Curitiba | City | 81,960 BRL | 87,760 BRL | 36,020-128,900 BRL |
| Salvador | City | 80,540 BRL | 87,040 BRL | 37,380-128,500 BRL |
| Porto Alegre | City | 79,260 BRL | 87,020 BRL | 35,260-127,700 BRL |
| Goiania | City | 78,940 BRL | 84,180 BRL | 37,740-124,400 BRL |
| Sao Luis | City | 78,420 BRL | 83,140 BRL | 37,200-123,400 BRL |
| Natal | City | 78,160 BRL | 83,100 BRL | 35,000-124,400 BRL |
| Teresina | City | 77,620 BRL | 82,920 BRL | 36,940-119,900 BRL |
| Campinas | City | 77,400 BRL | 82,200 BRL | 35,300-119,700 BRL |
| Vale do Aco | City | 75,040 BRL | 80,920 BRL | 34,540-117,660 BRL |
| Londrina | City | 75,040 BRL | 80,920 BRL | 34,540-116,380 BRL |
| Cuiaba | City | 74,380 BRL | 82,200 BRL | 35,300-119,700 BRL |
| Joao Pessoa | City | 72,700 BRL | 78,160 BRL | 34,160-116,420 BRL |
| Macapa | City | 72,120 BRL | 78,960 BRL | 31,980-112,440 BRL |
| Vitoria | City | 69,580 BRL | 73,800 BRL | 31,180-111,240 BRL |
| Aracaju | City | 69,260 BRL | 74,300 BRL | 30,700-111,000 BRL |
| Petrolina and Juazeiro | City | 67,900 BRL | 72,700 BRL | 29,160-107,820 BRL |
| Maringa | City | 67,360 BRL | 71,280 BRL | 31,380-107,320 BRL |
| Santos | City | 66,180 BRL | 71,280 BRL | 31,380-106,440 BRL |
Art Therapist in Brazil: FAQs
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How much does an art therapist make per month in Brazil?
An art therapist in Brazil earns about 6,470 BRL a month before tax, based on an annual average of 77,640 BRL.
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What's the salary range for an art therapist in Brazil?
Entry-level art therapists in Brazil start near 34,360 BRL. Top-end pay reaches around 119,900 BRL. The middle 50% of earners sit between 53,840 and 109,460 BRL.
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Is the median art therapist salary in Brazil higher or lower than the average?
The median is 81,960 BRL, higher than the average of 77,640 BRL. Half of art therapists in Brazil earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for art therapists in Brazil?
Men working as an art therapist in Brazil earn around 13% less than women on average (69,720 vs 80,280 BRL a year).
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Do art therapists in Brazil get bonuses?
About 59% of art therapists in Brazil reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary.
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Do art therapists earn more in the public or private sector in Brazil?
In Brazil, the public sector pays an art therapist about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do art therapists in Brazil get a pay raise?
An art therapist in Brazil sees a raise of around 12% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.