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Average Mechanical Design Engineer Salary in Brazil for 2026

A mechanical design engineer in Brazil earns about 99,080 BRL a year. That's 2% roughly in line with 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 46,840 BRL a year, while the very top stretches to 157,600 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 mechanical design engineer make in Brazil?

Average salary
99,080 BRL
8,256 BRL per month
Lowest reported
46,840 BRL
3,903 BRL per month
Highest reported
157,600 BRL
13,133 BRL per month

A typical mechanical design engineer working in Brazil brings home around 8,256 BRL a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 46,840 BRL, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 157,600 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 mechanical design 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 mechanical design 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 mechanical design engineers in Brazil earn less than 106,500 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 68,360 BRL (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 142,300 BRL (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of mechanical design engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 46,840 BRL. The highest stretch to 157,600 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.

46,840
Low
106,500
Median
157,600
High
68,360
25th
142,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BRL

Mechanical design engineer pay by experience in Brazil

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

  • 0-2 Years
    50,660 BRL
  • 2-5 Years
    +32% from previous
    67,120 BRL
  • 5-10 Years
    +53% from previous
    102,380 BRL
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    125,100 BRL
  • 15-20 Years
    +9% from previous
    136,100 BRL
  • 20+ Years
    +7% from previous
    146,200 BRL

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 53%. That is the point at which a mechanical design 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.


Mechanical design engineer pay by education in Brazil

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

  • Bachelor's Degree
    59,940 BRL
  • Master's Degree
    +95% from previous
    117,100 BRL

Mechanical design 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 mechanical design engineers in Brazil earn an average of 103,580 BRL a year, while female mechanical design engineers earn around 91,580 BRL. That works out to a 13% 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.

Mechanical Design Engineer gender pay gap

12%

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

Men 103,580 BRL
Women 91,580 BRL

Pay raises for a mechanical design 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 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

Mechanical design 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.

59%

59% of mechanical design engineers in Brazil reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a mechanical design engineer 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 mechanical design 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

Mechanical design 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

Mechanical design engineer salary by city in Brazil

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

  • Belo Horizonte
  • Brasilia
  • Curitiba
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Salvador
  • Recife
  • Belem
  • Manaus
  • Sao Paulo
  • Fortaleza
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Belo HorizonteCity109,740 BRL116,380 BRL48,300-172,200 BRL
BrasiliaCity108,800 BRL117,440 BRL50,020-172,400 BRL
CuritibaCity107,380 BRL117,520 BRL49,820-172,200 BRL
Rio de JaneiroCity106,980 BRL115,220 BRL50,020-172,400 BRL
SalvadorCity105,940 BRL116,960 BRL49,300-172,200 BRL
RecifeCity104,920 BRL113,840 BRL48,920-167,100 BRL
BelemCity104,040 BRL111,900 BRL48,140-161,300 BRL
ManausCity103,600 BRL109,460 BRL48,820-161,300 BRL
Sao PauloCity103,580 BRL114,900 BRL46,880-167,100 BRL
FortalezaCity103,140 BRL111,920 BRL45,580-161,600 BRL
GoianiaCity102,960 BRL112,760 BRL48,740-168,100 BRL
MaceioCity102,240 BRL107,900 BRL48,200-161,300 BRL
Sao LuisCity98,540 BRL106,360 BRL45,620-159,100 BRL
AracajuCity96,980 BRL103,140 BRL45,200-152,100 BRL
Joao PessoaCity96,960 BRL103,840 BRL43,340-152,000 BRL
Porto AlegreCity96,960 BRL103,840 BRL43,340-152,000 BRL
CampinasCity96,960 BRL103,840 BRL43,340-152,000 BRL
NatalCity95,760 BRL103,200 BRL44,800-150,000 BRL
TeresinaCity93,780 BRL99,220 BRL43,260-150,000 BRL
SantosCity93,140 BRL97,460 BRL43,360-148,300 BRL
Vale do AcoCity89,980 BRL97,300 BRL42,320-146,200 BRL
CuiabaCity88,620 BRL93,600 BRL39,420-138,200 BRL
VitoriaCity88,580 BRL93,340 BRL39,560-139,100 BRL
LondrinaCity88,240 BRL93,220 BRL41,700-138,200 BRL
MaringaCity86,740 BRL93,780 BRL38,340-139,100 BRL
Petrolina and JuazeiroCity85,940 BRL90,660 BRL39,960-136,100 BRL
MacapaCity85,760 BRL95,620 BRL39,560-139,100 BRL


Mechanical Design Engineer in Brazil: FAQs

  • How much does a mechanical design engineer make per month in Brazil?

    A mechanical design engineer in Brazil earns about 8,256 BRL a month before tax, based on an annual average of 99,080 BRL.

  • What's the salary range for a mechanical design engineer in Brazil?

    Entry-level mechanical design engineers in Brazil start near 46,840 BRL. Top-end pay reaches around 157,600 BRL. The middle 50% of earners sit between 68,360 and 142,300 BRL.

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

    The median is 106,500 BRL, higher than the average of 99,080 BRL. Half of mechanical design engineers in Brazil earn below the median, half earn above it.

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

    Men working as a mechanical design engineer in Brazil earn around 13% more than women on average (103,580 vs 91,580 BRL a year).

  • Do mechanical design engineers in Brazil get bonuses?

    About 59% of mechanical design engineers in Brazil reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 2% to 7% of base salary.

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

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

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

    A mechanical design engineer in Brazil sees a raise of around 12% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.