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Average Environmental Engineer Salary in Brazil for 2026

An environmental engineer in Brazil earns about 92,240 BRL a year. That's 9% 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 45,720 BRL a year, while the very top stretches to 138,800 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 environmental engineer make in Brazil?

Average salary
92,240 BRL
7,686 BRL per month
Lowest reported
45,720 BRL
3,810 BRL per month
Highest reported
138,800 BRL
11,566 BRL per month

A typical environmental engineer working in Brazil brings home around 7,686 BRL a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 45,720 BRL, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 138,800 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 environmental engineer 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 environmental engineer 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 environmental engineers in Brazil earn less than 88,620 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 60,340 BRL (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 108,300 BRL (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of environmental engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 45,720 BRL. The highest stretch to 138,800 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.

45,720
Low
88,620
Median
138,800
High
60,340
25th
108,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BRL

Environmental engineer pay by experience in Brazil

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an environmental engineer 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 environmental engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    52,300 BRL
  • 2-5 Years
    +38% from previous
    72,380 BRL
  • 5-10 Years
    +28% from previous
    92,680 BRL
  • 10-15 Years
    +24% from previous
    114,900 BRL
  • 15-20 Years
    +8% from previous
    124,400 BRL
  • 20+ Years
    +4% from previous
    128,900 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 environmental engineer 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.


Environmental engineer pay by education in Brazil

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

  • Bachelor's Degree
    74,300 BRL
  • Master's Degree
    +41% from previous
    104,920 BRL

Environmental engineer gender pay gap in Brazil

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Brazil is no exception. Male environmental engineers in Brazil earn an average of 96,680 BRL a year, while female environmental engineers earn around 87,060 BRL. That works out to a 11% 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.

Environmental Engineer gender pay gap

10%

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

Men 96,680 BRL
Women 87,060 BRL

Pay raises for an environmental engineer 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 Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Environmental engineer 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.

28%

28% of environmental engineers in Brazil reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an environmental engineer a low-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 1% to 3% of base salary. The remaining 72% of environmental engineers 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

Environmental engineer: 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

Environmental engineer salary by city in Brazil

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

  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Salvador
  • Brasilia
  • Fortaleza
  • Sao Paulo
  • Manaus
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Campinas
  • Curitiba
  • Recife
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Rio de JaneiroCity104,440 BRL113,220 BRL47,720-168,100 BRL
SalvadorCity102,380 BRL96,520 BRL52,380-154,700 BRL
BrasiliaCity101,900 BRL103,140 BRL48,940-158,700 BRL
FortalezaCity101,120 BRL101,120 BRL50,660-159,400 BRL
Sao PauloCity101,020 BRL105,620 BRL47,760-158,700 BRL
ManausCity99,560 BRL92,880 BRL50,180-150,000 BRL
Belo HorizonteCity96,180 BRL88,300 BRL50,540-148,300 BRL
CampinasCity95,760 BRL97,900 BRL45,560-150,000 BRL
CuritibaCity93,340 BRL97,060 BRL44,720-146,200 BRL
RecifeCity92,720 BRL92,400 BRL45,720-143,200 BRL
BelemCity92,720 BRL98,960 BRL43,340-148,300 BRL
Joao PessoaCity91,580 BRL99,080 BRL43,480-146,200 BRL
MaceioCity89,980 BRL94,400 BRL43,340-142,300 BRL
Porto AlegreCity89,800 BRL83,420 BRL48,200-136,100 BRL
GoianiaCity89,280 BRL82,200 BRL47,580-136,100 BRL
NatalCity89,280 BRL89,280 BRL45,600-139,100 BRL
AracajuCity88,020 BRL87,020 BRL45,000-136,200 BRL
TeresinaCity87,520 BRL89,980 BRL38,780-137,400 BRL
CuiabaCity86,520 BRL78,480 BRL48,340-128,500 BRL
SantosCity85,880 BRL83,400 BRL41,480-128,500 BRL
Sao LuisCity85,700 BRL88,600 BRL44,300-136,200 BRL
LondrinaCity85,460 BRL80,280 BRL43,220-128,500 BRL
Vale do AcoCity83,300 BRL84,880 BRL42,460-128,900 BRL
MacapaCity80,520 BRL86,460 BRL40,240-129,000 BRL
VitoriaCity79,360 BRL72,740 BRL42,040-119,020 BRL
MaringaCity78,960 BRL78,960 BRL36,720-120,040 BRL
Petrolina and JuazeiroCity78,160 BRL70,880 BRL41,660-116,180 BRL


Environmental Engineer in Brazil: FAQs

  • How much does an environmental engineer make per month in Brazil?

    An environmental engineer in Brazil earns about 7,686 BRL a month before tax, based on an annual average of 92,240 BRL.

  • What's the salary range for an environmental engineer in Brazil?

    Entry-level environmental engineers in Brazil start near 45,720 BRL. Top-end pay reaches around 138,800 BRL. The middle 50% of earners sit between 60,340 and 108,300 BRL.

  • Is the median environmental engineer salary in Brazil higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 88,620 BRL, lower than the average of 92,240 BRL. Half of environmental engineers in Brazil earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for environmental engineers in Brazil?

    Men working as an environmental engineer in Brazil earn around 11% more than women on average (96,680 vs 87,060 BRL a year).

  • Do environmental engineers in Brazil get bonuses?

    About 28% of environmental engineers in Brazil reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.

  • Do environmental engineers earn more in the public or private sector in Brazil?

    In Brazil, the public sector pays an environmental engineer about 7% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do environmental engineers in Brazil get a pay raise?

    An environmental engineer in Brazil sees a raise of around 12% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 9% a year.