Skip to content
worldsalaries .com

Average Certified Respiratory Therapist Salary in Brazil for 2026

A certified respiratory therapist in Brazil earns about 159,400 BRL a year. That's 58% above 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 83,400 BRL a year, while the very top stretches to 243,000 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 a certified respiratory therapist make in Brazil?

Average salary
159,400 BRL
13,283 BRL per month
Lowest reported
83,400 BRL
6,950 BRL per month
Highest reported
243,000 BRL
20,250 BRL per month

A typical certified respiratory therapist working in Brazil brings home around 13,283 BRL a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 83,400 BRL, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 243,000 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 certified respiratory 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 certified respiratory 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 certified respiratory therapists in Brazil earn less than 152,000 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 107,680 BRL (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 192,000 BRL (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of certified respiratory therapists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 83,400 BRL. The highest stretch to 243,000 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.

83,400
Low
152,000
Median
243,000
High
107,680
25th
192,000
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BRL

Certified respiratory therapist pay by experience in Brazil

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a certified respiratory 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 certified respiratory therapist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    92,680 BRL
  • 2-5 Years
    +38% from previous
    127,700 BRL
  • 5-10 Years
    +28% from previous
    163,800 BRL
  • 10-15 Years
    +21% from previous
    197,600 BRL
  • 15-20 Years
    +10% from previous
    216,800 BRL
  • 20+ Years
    +5% from previous
    227,600 BRL

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 38%. That is the point at which a certified respiratory 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.


Certified respiratory therapist pay by education in Brazil

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving certified respiratory 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 certified respiratory therapist salary in Brazil broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    119,900 BRL
  • Master's Degree
    +27% from previous
    151,800 BRL
  • PhD
    +57% from previous
    239,000 BRL

Certified respiratory 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 certified respiratory therapists in Brazil earn an average of 167,100 BRL a year, while female certified respiratory therapists earn around 152,300 BRL. That works out to a 10% gap in favour of men, 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.

Certified Respiratory Therapist gender pay gap

9%

Men earn this much more than women on average in Brazil.

Men 167,100 BRL
Women 152,300 BRL

Pay raises for a certified respiratory 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 11% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 8% 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 Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Certified respiratory 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.

54%

54% of certified respiratory therapists in Brazil reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a certified respiratory 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 3% to 5% of base salary. The remaining 46% of certified respiratory 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

Certified respiratory 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.

Public sector 106,500 BRL
Private sector 99,460 BRL

Certified respiratory therapist salary by city in Brazil

Certified respiratory therapist pay is not even across Brazil. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Sao Paulo
  • Salvador
  • Fortaleza
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Manaus
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Curitiba
  • Belem
  • Brasilia
  • Sao Luis
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Sao PauloCity187,500 BRL172,200 BRL99,080-283,400 BRL
SalvadorCity181,600 BRL172,200 BRL93,220-275,500 BRL
FortalezaCity180,500 BRL192,000 BRL83,100-282,500 BRL
Belo HorizonteCity175,900 BRL185,100 BRL84,800-277,400 BRL
ManausCity175,900 BRL175,900 BRL88,600-275,800 BRL
Rio de JaneiroCity174,000 BRL189,300 BRL80,020-277,400 BRL
CuritibaCity174,000 BRL172,200 BRL88,300-271,300 BRL
BelemCity172,400 BRL187,500 BRL80,920-275,200 BRL
BrasiliaCity172,200 BRL175,900 BRL84,740-273,300 BRL
Sao LuisCity168,100 BRL172,200 BRL80,520-261,300 BRL
RecifeCity163,800 BRL152,100 BRL88,020-247,800 BRL
GoianiaCity161,300 BRL169,000 BRL79,600-254,800 BRL
TeresinaCity161,300 BRL152,000 BRL86,520-246,200 BRL
Porto AlegreCity159,400 BRL159,400 BRL79,000-246,500 BRL
CampinasCity159,400 BRL151,800 BRL85,940-239,300 BRL
AracajuCity159,400 BRL152,000 BRL83,400-243,000 BRL
CuiabaCity158,700 BRL161,600 BRL74,380-246,500 BRL
MaceioCity158,700 BRL152,300 BRL78,260-240,500 BRL
MacapaCity154,700 BRL152,100 BRL79,260-238,900 BRL
NatalCity154,700 BRL163,800 BRL72,260-245,300 BRL
Joao PessoaCity152,000 BRL163,800 BRL71,020-240,500 BRL
SantosCity151,800 BRL139,100 BRL82,480-225,300 BRL
MaringaCity151,800 BRL159,100 BRL71,020-237,400 BRL
LondrinaCity150,000 BRL137,400 BRL80,480-225,700 BRL
Vale do AcoCity146,200 BRL150,000 BRL70,700-228,500 BRL
VitoriaCity138,200 BRL134,600 BRL73,260-210,500 BRL
Petrolina and JuazeiroCity138,200 BRL138,200 BRL70,260-214,000 BRL


Certified Respiratory Therapist in Brazil: FAQs

  • How much does a certified respiratory therapist make per month in Brazil?

    A certified respiratory therapist in Brazil earns about 13,283 BRL a month before tax, based on an annual average of 159,400 BRL.

  • What's the salary range for a certified respiratory therapist in Brazil?

    Entry-level certified respiratory therapists in Brazil start near 83,400 BRL. Top-end pay reaches around 243,000 BRL. The middle 50% of earners sit between 107,680 and 192,000 BRL.

  • Is the median certified respiratory therapist salary in Brazil higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 152,000 BRL, lower than the average of 159,400 BRL. Half of certified respiratory therapists in Brazil earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for certified respiratory therapists in Brazil?

    Men working as a certified respiratory therapist in Brazil earn around 10% more than women on average (167,100 vs 152,300 BRL a year).

  • Do certified respiratory therapists in Brazil get bonuses?

    About 54% of certified respiratory therapists in Brazil reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary.

  • Do certified respiratory therapists earn more in the public or private sector in Brazil?

    In Brazil, the public sector pays a certified respiratory therapist about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do certified respiratory therapists in Brazil get a pay raise?

    A certified respiratory therapist in Brazil sees a raise of around 11% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.