Skip to content
worldsalaries .com

Average Medical Social Worker Salary in Brazil for 2026

A medical social worker in Brazil earns about 73,880 BRL a year. That's 27% 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 37,620 BRL a year, while the very top stretches to 113,740 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 medical social worker make in Brazil?

Average salary
73,880 BRL
6,156 BRL per month
Lowest reported
37,620 BRL
3,135 BRL per month
Highest reported
113,740 BRL
9,478 BRL per month

A typical medical social worker working in Brazil brings home around 6,156 BRL a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 37,620 BRL, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 113,740 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 medical social worker 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 medical social worker 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 medical social workers in Brazil earn less than 75,220 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 50,240 BRL (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 98,140 BRL (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of medical social workers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 37,620 BRL. The highest stretch to 113,740 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.

37,620
Low
75,220
Median
113,740
High
50,240
25th
98,140
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BRL

Medical social worker pay by experience in Brazil

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a medical social worker 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 medical social worker salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    43,340 BRL
  • 2-5 Years
    +29% from previous
    56,060 BRL
  • 5-10 Years
    +37% from previous
    76,540 BRL
  • 10-15 Years
    +25% from previous
    95,760 BRL
  • 15-20 Years
    +5% from previous
    100,280 BRL
  • 20+ Years
    +9% from previous
    109,000 BRL

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 37%. That is the point at which a medical social worker 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.


Medical social worker pay by education in Brazil

Education lifts pay across almost every role, but the size of the lift varies enormously. The biggest premiums show up in licensed professions like medicine, law and accounting, where extra years of formal study open up seniority that isn't available without the qualification. The smallest premiums show up in skilled trades and creative work, where practical experience often beats academic credentials.

As a rough cross-industry guide for Brazil: a post-secondary certificate or diploma adds around 17% over a high-school-only baseline. A bachelor's degree typically adds another 25% on top of that. A master's lifts pay a further 30%, and a PhD adds about 22% more in fields that value research-level qualifications. These are averages across many different professions, so the real number for your specific job could easily be twice as high or close to zero. The per-job pages below have the real numbers for individual roles.


Medical social worker gender pay gap in Brazil

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Brazil is no exception. Male medical social workers in Brazil earn an average of 67,800 BRL a year, while female medical social workers earn around 77,640 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.

Medical Social Worker gender pay gap

13%

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

Women 77,640 BRL
Men 67,800 BRL

Pay raises for a medical social worker 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 16 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

Medical social worker 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.

31%

31% of medical social workers in Brazil reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a medical social worker 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 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 69% of medical social workers 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

Medical social worker: 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

Medical social worker salary by city in Brazil

Medical social worker 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
  • Brasilia
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Porto Alegre
  • Recife
  • Salvador
  • Goiania
  • Sao Luis
  • Fortaleza
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
Sao PauloCity82,200 BRL83,640 BRL40,420-129,000 BRL
BrasiliaCity80,540 BRL77,100 BRL44,300-124,400 BRL
Belo HorizonteCity78,500 BRL73,820 BRL40,040-119,500 BRL
Rio de JaneiroCity78,160 BRL81,180 BRL34,360-119,900 BRL
Porto AlegreCity77,640 BRL73,980 BRL39,800-119,320 BRL
RecifeCity77,120 BRL83,400 BRL36,020-125,100 BRL
SalvadorCity77,120 BRL79,000 BRL38,680-123,400 BRL
GoianiaCity75,260 BRL71,020 BRL38,700-115,560 BRL
Sao LuisCity75,260 BRL71,660 BRL39,080-115,080 BRL
FortalezaCity75,100 BRL72,180 BRL42,320-115,640 BRL
ManausCity74,060 BRL72,420 BRL39,160-114,380 BRL
CuritibaCity73,760 BRL73,760 BRL36,580-113,740 BRL
CampinasCity73,120 BRL78,420 BRL34,120-115,640 BRL
BelemCity72,420 BRL79,280 BRL34,240-115,520 BRL
MaceioCity71,700 BRL71,700 BRL34,360-110,340 BRL
CuiabaCity70,940 BRL65,940 BRL36,020-106,740 BRL
TeresinaCity70,600 BRL73,980 BRL34,960-114,940 BRL
AracajuCity70,260 BRL69,400 BRL35,560-109,740 BRL
NatalCity69,180 BRL63,040 BRL36,700-104,140 BRL
Joao PessoaCity67,360 BRL72,260 BRL31,380-109,000 BRL
LondrinaCity66,020 BRL68,580 BRL29,640-102,240 BRL
MacapaCity64,620 BRL64,620 BRL31,520-103,900 BRL
Vale do AcoCity63,700 BRL61,400 BRL31,520-96,720 BRL
MaringaCity62,860 BRL58,000 BRL35,300-98,440 BRL
VitoriaCity61,760 BRL64,180 BRL31,380-97,880 BRL
SantosCity60,840 BRL65,940 BRL28,900-97,760 BRL
Petrolina and JuazeiroCity60,020 BRL57,820 BRL29,160-93,780 BRL


Medical Social Worker in Brazil: FAQs

  • How much does a medical social worker make per month in Brazil?

    A medical social worker in Brazil earns about 6,156 BRL a month before tax, based on an annual average of 73,880 BRL.

  • What's the salary range for a medical social worker in Brazil?

    Entry-level medical social workers in Brazil start near 37,620 BRL. Top-end pay reaches around 113,740 BRL. The middle 50% of earners sit between 50,240 and 98,140 BRL.

  • Is the median medical social worker salary in Brazil higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 75,220 BRL, higher than the average of 73,880 BRL. Half of medical social workers in Brazil earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for medical social workers in Brazil?

    Men working as a medical social worker in Brazil earn around 13% less than women on average (67,800 vs 77,640 BRL a year).

  • Do medical social workers in Brazil get bonuses?

    About 31% of medical social workers in Brazil reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.

  • Do medical social workers earn more in the public or private sector in Brazil?

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

  • How often do medical social workers in Brazil get a pay raise?

    A medical social worker in Brazil sees a raise of around 11% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.