Brazilian economy can be a mystery for those that don’t live here. So it’s common for me to receive questions about costs of living, salaries, and jobs that employ the most around here. An exciting question that I came across the other day was the average payment per hour. That’s interesting, as in Brazil we are not used to measuring pay rates hourly, but monthly. So: how much do Brazilians make an hour?
As a general rule, Brazilians make about 0.91 USD (R$5.05) per hour in positions that pay the current minimum wage of 220 USD (R$ 1212.00). However, the average payment per hour is more, about 1.83 USD (R$ 10.13), as recent data shows that the median monthly income in Brazil is 440 USD (R$ 2433).
How Much Do Brazilians Make Per Hour
In Brazil, we are not used to measuring the payment by the hour, but monthly. Even so, doing simple math is easy to find how much do Brazilians make per hour. For this article I have considered the following variables, the way payment usually works in Brazil:
- Working 8 hours, dividing the full monthly salary per 30 days.
- Or, working 8 hours, dividing the full monthly salary per 26 days (discounting 4 Sundays).
In the following table, you can check the final values per month and per hour considering both approaches.
| – | Monthly | Hourly (Considering 30 Days) | Hourly (Considering 26 Days) |
| Minimum Wage | $220 (R$ 1212) | $0.91 (R$ 5.05) | $1.05 (R$ 5.82) |
| Average Salary | $440 (R$ 2433) | $1.83 (R$ 10.13) | $2.12 (R$ 11.69) |
Your Salary Compared To The Brazilian Reality
These values show that the Brazilian reality is tough. But also, an excellent opportunity. If you can keep an income in USD or EUR living in Brazil, you can improve your life quality considerably. For example, the Minimum Wage in New York is about 2166 USD. NYC is super expensive, and with 2166 bucks, you’ll probably be living in a small room and eating dollar pizza in all your meals (BTW, I love $1 slices).
However, with the exact same salary in Brazil, considering the current trading rates (1 USD = R$ 5.54), you would be making about R$ 12000 (Brazilian Real). That’s a lot! I mean, enough for a wonderful life, living in a great neighborhood, eating out all the time, traveling, and even saving a good amount every month. $2166 (R$12000) may be nothing in NYC but puts you between the 1% elite in Brazil.
That’s just one example of an actual salary compared to the Brazilian reality. If you have a different wage and want to compare it with the Brazilian reality, convert it to Brazilian Real (BRL) and paste it on this website. It will return you an infographic of your salary compared to the rest of the country.
Average Salary: 100 Jobs That Employ The Most In Brazil
Now you already know how much do Brazilians make an hour. But what about a ranking of the average monthly wages for the top 100 jobs that employ most Brazilians? Well, you’ll find it in the following table.
I created this resource when I was writing an article about the average salaries in Brazil. It was a lot of work to translate all the positions and convert the values. Also, I have a hard time translating all the names of the professions into English. Some of them are not quite perfect because there are no direct translations available, so please, be comprehensive. All the data presented in the table was extracted from here (In Portuguese, without converted BRL values).
| Job | Average Monthly Salary (BRL) | Average Monthly Salary (USD) |
| Operador de Telemarketing Ativo (Active Telemarketing Operator) | R$ 1144.96 | $206.69 |
| Inspetor de Alunos (Truant Officer) | R$ 1210.66 | $218.55 |
| Operador de Telemarketing (Receptive Telemarketing Operator) | R$ 1275.37 | $230.24 |
| Auxiliar de Desevolvimento Infantil (Child Development Assistant) | R$ 1320.78 | $238.43 |
| Atendente de Lanchonete (Diner Attendant / Waiter) | R$ 1330.23 | $240.14 |
| Vendedor de Comércio Varejista (Retail Salesman) | R$ 1345.53 | $242.90 |
| Atendente de Lojas e Mercados (Supermarket Attendant) | R$ 1349.79 | $243.67 |
| Frentista (Gas Station Attendant) | R$ 1361.77 | $245.83 |
| Auxiliar de Conservação de Vias (Road Worker – Maintenance) | R$ 1367.41 | $246.85 |
| Atendente de Farmácia (Pharmacy Attendant) | R$ 1368.79 | $247.10 |
| Magarefe (Butcher) | R$ 1390.81 | $251.08 |
| Copeiro (Cupbearer) | R$ 1393.53 | $251.57 |
| Varredor de Rua (Street Sweeper) | R$ 1405.74 | $253.77 |
| Repositor de Mercadorias (Restocker) | R$ 1418 | $255.98 |
| Camareira de Hotel (Room Maid) | R$ 1435.09 | $259.07 |
| Operador de Caixa (Cashier) | R$ 1442.79 | $260.46 |
| Auxiliar Serviços Alimentação (Food Service Assistant) | R$ 1443.09 | $260.51 |
| Embalador / Pacoteiro (Packer) | R$ 1450.79 | $261.90 |
| Armazenista (Stockist) | R$ 1452.66 | $262.24 |
| Agente Comunitário de Saúde (Community Health Agent) | R$ 1498.66 | $270.55 |
| Motociclista Entregador (Delivery – Motorcycle) | R$ 1515.52 | $273.59 |
| Recepcionista Geral (General Receptionist) | R$ 1528.93 | $276.01 |
| Recepcionista Consultório (Clinic Receptionist) | R$ 1533.80 | $276.89 |
| Costureira (Seamstress) | R$ 1535.63 | $277.22 |
| Vendedor Atacadista (Wholesaler) | R$ 1551.03 | $280.00 |
| Contínuo (Office Boy) | R$ 1571.84 | $283.76 |
| Almoxarife (Warehouseman) | R$ 1576.80 | $284.65 |
| Manutenção de Edificações (Construction Maintenance) | R$ 1589.32 | $286.91 |
| Serviços de Limpeza (Cleaner) | R$ 1589.87 | $287.01 |
| Servente de Obras (Construction Helper) | R$ 1609.98 | $290.64 |
| Garçom (Waiter) | R$ 1621.34 | $292.69 |
| Ajudante de Motorista (Driver Assistant) | R$ 1623.52 | $293.05 |
| Trabalhador Agropecuário (Agricultural Worker) | R$ 1644.38 | $296.82 |
| Açougueiro (Butcher) | R$ 1646.61 | $297.22 |
| Cozinheiro Geral (General Cook) | R$ 1670.91 | $301.61 |
| Cobrador Transporte Coletivo (Ticket Collector) | R$ 1677.55 | $302.81 |
| Professor Médio – Ed Infantil (Mid-Level Teacher – Kintergarden) | R$ 1681.83 | $303.58 |
| Padeiro (Baker) | R$ 1700.70 | $306.99 |
| Faxineiro (Janitor) | R$ 1702.59 | $307.33 |
| Auxiliar de Escritório (Office Assistant) | R$ 1729.74 | $312.23 |
| Trabalhador Temporário Agricultura (Temporary Worker – Agriculture) | R$ 1753.78 | $316.57 |
| Escriturário de Banco (Bank Clerk) | R$ 1761.14 | $317.90 |
| Assistente Administrativo (Administrative Assistant) | R$ 1793.39 | $323.72 |
| Trabalhador Pecuária (Livestock Worker) | R$ 1843.73 | $332.80 |
| Técnico de Enfermagem (Nursing Technician) | R$ 1844.69 | $332.98 |
| Mecânico de Automóveis (Car Mechanic) | R$ 1850.20 | $333.97 |
| Zelador de Edifício (Building Janitor) | R$ 1859.78 | $335.70 |
| Assistente de Vendas (Sales Assistant) | R$ 1869.78 | $337.51 |
| Vigia (Guard) | R$ 1881.51 | $339.62 |
| Motorista Carro (Car Driver) | R$ 1898.44 | $342.67 |
| Auxiliar de Contabilidade (Accountant Assistant) | R$ 1943.58 | $350.83 |
| Agente de Saúde Pública (Public Health Agent) | R$ 2013.02 | $363.36 |
| Auxiliar de Enfermagem (Nursing Assistant) | R$ 2049.03 | $369.86 |
| Auxiliar de Manutenção Predial (Building Maintenance Assistant) | R$ 2083.98 | $376.17 |
| Porteiro (Doorman) | R$ 2109.62 | $380.80 |
| Conferente de Carga (Truckload Checker) | R$ 2156.62 | $390.04 |
| Prof Nível Médio – Fundamental (Teacher – Elementary) | R$ 2160.82 | $390.79 |
| Gerente de Loja (Store Manager) | R$ 2164.96 | $397.67 |
| Motorista de Furgão (Van Driver) | R$ 2203.08 | $406.70 |
| Motorista de Ônibus (Bus Driver) | R$ 2253.12 | $408.15 |
| Carregador (Loader) | R$ 2261.14 | $410.12 |
| Pedreiro (Construction Worker) | R$ 2272.04 | $410.33 |
| Motorista de Ônibus (Bus Driver – Intercities, Interstate) | R$ 2273.24 | $414.12 |
| Promotor de Vendas (Sales Promoter) | R$ 2294.25 | $415.33 |
| Professor do EJA (Adult Education Teacher) | R$ 2300.95 | $424.39 |
| Alimentador Linha de Produção (Production Line Worker) | R$ 2351.12 | $431.75 |
| Professor de Ensino Superior (Higher Education Professor) | R$ 2391.88 | $438.05 |
| Secretária Executiva (Executive Secretary) | R$ 2426.80 | $442.68 |
| Operador de Empilhadeira (Forklift Operator) | R$ 2452.43 | $443.78 |
| Prof Nível Superior – Ed Infantil (Kintergarden Teacher) | R$ 2458.53 | $447.71 |
| Motorista de Caminhão (Truck Driver) | R$ 2480.34 | $448.08 |
| Auxiliar de Pessoal (HR Assistant) | R$ 2482.36 | $450.79 |
| Operador de Máquinas (Machine Operator) | R$ 2497.36 | $463.80 |
| Carregador – Armazém (Warehouse Loader) | R$ 2569.43 | $525.26 |
| Inspetor de Qualidade (Quality Inspector) | R$ 2909.93 | $547.76 |
| Eletricista – Manutenção (Maintenance Electrician) | R$ 3034.60 | $553.05 |
| Coordenador Pedagógico (Pedagogical Coordinator) | R$ 3063.89 | $568.82 |
| Tratorista Agrícola (Tractor Driver) | R$ 3151.24 | $597.05 |
| Supervisor de Vendas (Sales Manager) | R$ 3307.63 | $599.91 |
| Eletricista Instalações (Installation Electrician) | R$ 3323.51 | $601.79 |
| Supervisor Administrativo (Administrative Manager) | R$ 3333.94 | $617.79 |
| Mecânico Máquinas (Machinery Mechanic) | R$ 3422.53 | $648.96 |
| Enfermeira (Nurse) | R$ 3595.22 | $651.37 |
| Analista RH (HR Analyst) | R$ 3608.60 | $682.17 |
| Mestre de Obras (Chief Construction Worker) | R$ 3779.21 | $689.05 |
| Operador de Máquinas Fixas (Fixed Machine Operator) | R$ 3817.32 | $691.40 |
| Farmacêutica (Pharmaceutical) | R$ 3830.34 | $698.60 |
| Soldador (Welder) | R$ 3870.27 | $703.49 |
| Vigilante (Watchman) | R$ 3897.33 | $727.55 |
| Analista de Suporte (Tech Support Analyst) | R$ 4030.61 | $789.70 |
| Contador (Accountant) | R$ 4374.93 | $819.28 |
| Técnico Segurança do Trabalho (Work Safety Technician) | R$ 4538.81 | $831.00 |
| Programador (Software Developer) | R$ 4633.75 | $836.28 |
| Gerente Administrativo (Senior Administrative Manager) | R$ 4652.65 | $839.71 |
| Gerente Comercial (Commercial Manager) | R$ 5083.58 | $917.61 |
| Gerente de Vendas (Senior Sales Manager) | R$ 5406.97 | $975.99 |
| Trabalhador Cultura de Cana (Sugarcane Worker) | R$ 6110.24 | $1102.93 |
| Analista de Sistemas (Systems Analyst) | R$ 6478.47 | $1169.40 |
| Médico Clínico (Clinical Doctor) | R$ 8480.66 | $1530.81 |
Related Questions
What is the average income for Brazilians? In general, the average income for Brazilians is about 440 USD (R$ 2433) for a single person. However, the median income for a couple lies around 880 USD and 1115 USD, depending on the career, study and experience level, and country’s region.
What is a rich salary in Brazil? As a general rule, a salary of 1870 USD (10313.00 BRL) is enough to be considered rich in Brazil. That’s what the PNAD study shows. The average monthly income of the wealthiest 5% in Brazil is around 1870 USD, considering the trading rate (1 USD = 5.54 BRL).
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