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Average Registered Nurse Salary in Brazil for 2026

A registered nurse in Brazil earns about 77,860 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 36,800 BRL a year, while the very top stretches to 127,700 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 registered nurse make in Brazil?

Average salary
77,860 BRL
6,488 BRL per month
Lowest reported
36,800 BRL
3,066 BRL per month
Highest reported
127,700 BRL
10,641 BRL per month

A typical registered nurse working in Brazil brings home around 6,488 BRL a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 36,800 BRL, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 127,700 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 registered nurse 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 registered nurse 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 registered nurses in Brazil earn less than 86,520 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 56,100 BRL (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 115,520 BRL (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of registered nurses sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 36,800 BRL. The highest stretch to 127,700 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.

36,800
Low
86,520
Median
127,700
High
56,100
25th
115,520
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in BRL

Registered nurse pay by experience in Brazil

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

  • 0-2 Years
    42,320 BRL
  • 2-5 Years
    +36% from previous
    57,360 BRL
  • 5-10 Years
    +40% from previous
    80,280 BRL
  • 10-15 Years
    +24% from previous
    99,460 BRL
  • 15-20 Years
    +8% from previous
    107,860 BRL
  • 20+ Years
    +11% from previous
    119,560 BRL

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 40%. That is the point at which a registered nurse 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.


Registered nurse pay by education in Brazil

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

  • Bachelor's Degree
    49,360 BRL
  • Master's Degree
    +86% from previous
    91,840 BRL

Registered nurse gender pay gap in Brazil

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Brazil is no exception. Male registered nurses in Brazil earn an average of 73,100 BRL a year, while female registered nurses earn around 84,740 BRL. That works out to a 14% 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.

Registered Nurse gender pay gap

14%

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

Women 84,740 BRL
Men 73,100 BRL

Pay raises for a registered nurse 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 10% every 18 months, which works out to roughly 7% 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

Registered nurse 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.

34%

34% of registered nurses in Brazil reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a registered nurse 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 66% of registered nurses 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

Registered nurse: 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

Registered nurse salary by city in Brazil

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

  • Brasilia
  • Fortaleza
  • Salvador
  • Curitiba
  • Sao Paulo
  • Rio de Janeiro
  • Belo Horizonte
  • Campinas
  • Recife
  • Manaus
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
BrasiliaCity93,600 BRL104,080 BRL43,080-152,100 BRL
FortalezaCity92,880 BRL92,680 BRL46,840-142,300 BRL
SalvadorCity92,400 BRL99,920 BRL40,600-146,200 BRL
CuritibaCity92,240 BRL86,640 BRL45,720-138,800 BRL
Sao PauloCity90,980 BRL89,980 BRL43,340-138,800 BRL
Rio de JaneiroCity89,120 BRL96,520 BRL42,400-143,200 BRL
Belo HorizonteCity88,620 BRL85,940 BRL43,800-136,100 BRL
CampinasCity87,060 BRL91,560 BRL41,480-137,400 BRL
RecifeCity87,060 BRL85,880 BRL45,620-136,100 BRL
ManausCity85,700 BRL89,280 BRL44,300-136,200 BRL
Porto AlegreCity85,460 BRL84,740 BRL40,040-128,900 BRL
TeresinaCity84,040 BRL87,020 BRL40,040-128,900 BRL
Joao PessoaCity84,040 BRL89,460 BRL36,720-134,600 BRL
BelemCity83,400 BRL88,300 BRL39,640-130,400 BRL
GoianiaCity83,400 BRL77,860 BRL41,480-125,700 BRL
Sao LuisCity83,100 BRL92,240 BRL39,080-136,100 BRL
MaceioCity83,100 BRL80,840 BRL43,340-128,500 BRL
NatalCity80,280 BRL85,460 BRL41,700-129,000 BRL
MacapaCity79,280 BRL75,260 BRL42,040-117,860 BRL
AracajuCity78,960 BRL83,200 BRL34,120-123,400 BRL
LondrinaCity77,620 BRL74,620 BRL38,620-116,380 BRL
CuiabaCity75,260 BRL70,880 BRL39,080-115,080 BRL
Vale do AcoCity74,300 BRL82,920 BRL36,940-119,900 BRL
MaringaCity73,100 BRL74,940 BRL37,620-117,100 BRL
SantosCity72,740 BRL73,040 BRL39,960-113,840 BRL
VitoriaCity70,840 BRL79,600 BRL34,240-113,740 BRL
Petrolina and JuazeiroCity69,060 BRL70,700 BRL33,520-108,300 BRL


Registered Nurse in Brazil: FAQs

  • How much does a registered nurse make per month in Brazil?

    A registered nurse in Brazil earns about 6,488 BRL a month before tax, based on an annual average of 77,860 BRL.

  • What's the salary range for a registered nurse in Brazil?

    Entry-level registered nurses in Brazil start near 36,800 BRL. Top-end pay reaches around 127,700 BRL. The middle 50% of earners sit between 56,100 and 115,520 BRL.

  • Is the median registered nurse salary in Brazil higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 86,520 BRL, higher than the average of 77,860 BRL. Half of registered nurses in Brazil earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for registered nurses in Brazil?

    Men working as a registered nurse in Brazil earn around 14% less than women on average (73,100 vs 84,740 BRL a year).

  • Do registered nurses in Brazil get bonuses?

    About 34% of registered nurses in Brazil reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.

  • Do registered nurses earn more in the public or private sector in Brazil?

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

  • How often do registered nurses in Brazil get a pay raise?

    A registered nurse in Brazil sees a raise of around 10% every 18 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.