Moving to Brazil

Moving to Brazil at a glance

Key numbers for moving to Brazil, each with its date and source.

Dollar figures on this page use R$4.99 per US dollar, the Banco Central PTAX rate for October 7, 2026.⁸

Living in Brazil, pros and cons

Brazil works best for people with a job offer, foreign income or a pension who will learn Portuguese and plan for Brazilian tax.

Pros of living in Brazil

• São Paulo's job market sits in Brazil's largest city economy, 9.7% of national GDP in 2023.
• Fixed broadband had a national median of 241.74 Mbps in August 2026 (Ookla).
• Remote workers qualify with US$1,500 a month and retirees with a US$2,000 monthly transfer.
• Pix payments are instant, free for individuals and work around the clock.
• The Migration Law guarantees migrants access to public health services whatever their status.
• A child born in Brazil is Brazilian unless a parent is there serving a foreign government.

Sources 5 14 26 27 32 44 57

Cons of living in Brazil

• Leases, banks and public offices run in Portuguese, and Brazil's 2025 EF English score of 482 is in the low band.
• Registering residence with the Polícia Federal can take up to 180 days.
• Tax residents owe Brazilian tax on worldwide income, and most temporary visa holders become resident on day 184 in any 12 months.
• No income tax treaty is in force with the US, the UK or Australia.
• Brazil's 2025 violent death rate was 19.1 per 100,000, against 7.8 in São Paulo state.
• São Paulo had the highest asking rents of the 22 state capitals FipeZap tracked in August 2026.
• Card cloning (45%) and WhatsApp scams (34%) led a 2025 Febraban survey of common frauds.

Sources 11 18 35 37 39 51 52

Visas and residency in Brazil

Your passport decides how you visit, and your income or job decides how you stay. The Brazil visas and residency guide covers documents and fees.

Register with the Polícia Federal within 90 days of arriving on a temporary visa. The CRNM card costs R$204.77 ($41), and registration can take up to 180 days. See remote work from São Paulo and retiring in São Paulo for these routes in practice.^{33 34 35}

Cost of living in Brazil

No official source publishes a national cost-of-living figure or a Brazil vs USA comparison, so São Paulo prices are the clearest benchmark.

Brazil's minimum wage is R$1,621 ($325) a month in 2026. DIEESE estimated that a family of four needed R$7,565.86 ($1,520) a month for basic needs in August 2026. A basic food basket cost R$900.59 ($180) in São Paulo that month, against R$798.87 ($160) in Curitiba.^{10 20}

Dig deeper with São Paulo living costs, rents by area, and what living on $1,500 a month or a $2,500 monthly budget buys.

Best places to live in Brazil for expats

No official ranking exists. São Paulo is the economic center and the city this guide covers in depth. The table sets it against three other capitals expats often consider.

Rio's asking rents rose fastest of the four, Curitiba's ran about 25% below São Paulo's, and Florianópolis scored highest for English. Belo Horizonte and Salvador also rank among Brazil's seven largest cities in IBGE's 2026 estimates. The 2022 Census counted 159,146 foreign nationals living in São Paulo.^{4 6 11 18 19}

São Paulo state

São Paulo state had 46.2 million people in 2026, the most of any state. Its 2025 violent death rate of 7.8 per 100,000 was the second lowest of Brazil's 27 states, after Santa Catarina. About 94% of its adults used Pix in December 2025.^{2 51 71}

Sources 27 50 56 57

Compare São Paulo with Rio de Janeiro or with Curitiba, or weigh it against Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Santiago and the Chile guide. Moving with children? Read moving to São Paulo with kids.

Is Brazil safe?

Risk depends more on the state and neighborhood than on the country. São Paulo and Santa Catarina states had violent death rates less than half the national figure in 2025.

Brazil's violent death rate fell to 19.1 per 100,000 in 2025, the lowest since the series began in 2012.⁵²

The US State Department rates Brazil Level 2 for crime and kidnapping (August 31, 2026) and warns against entering favelas even on tours. The UK FCDO says thieves target phones mostly between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. and advises not resisting. It also suggests avoiding rallies before the October 25, 2026 runoff. The São Paulo safety guide goes area by area.^{53 54 55}

CPF, Pix and the Brazilian real

What is a CPF in Brazil?

The CPF is your Brazilian taxpayer number, and daily life runs on it. You can't create a gov.br account without one, Caixa asks for it to open a current account, and Correios needs it for any parcel from abroad. Health plans report it to the ANS regulator, and São Paulo's public clinics ask for it on registration.^{16 17 72 73 74}

Apply online, at a Receita Federal office or through a Brazilian consulate before you move. It's free online and at the Receita Federal, though partner outlets such as Correios charge R$7 ($1.40).¹⁵

What is Pix?

Pix is the Banco Central's instant payment system, launched November 16, 2020. It runs around the clock, is free for individuals and had more than 170 million users in May 2026. In a 2023 Banco Central survey, 64.9% of Brazilians named Pix among their two preferred ways to pay, ahead of cash at 55.7%.^{14 71}

The Brazilian real

The real (R$, BRL) has been Brazil's currency since July 1, 1994. Everyday prices and payments are in reais, and a lease on property in Brazil can't legally be set in a foreign currency.^{7 13 68}

Brazilian Portuguese for expats

Expect to handle leases, banks and public offices in Portuguese. EF's 2025 English index scores São Paulo at 518 and Florianópolis at 577. The US Foreign Service Institute counts Portuguese among the languages closest to English, at about 24 weeks of full-time study. São Paulo's Portas Abertas program teaches Portuguese to immigrants free in municipal schools, whatever their status.^{11 12 75}

Taxes for expats in Brazil

On a temporary visa without a Brazilian job, you become tax resident on day 184 in Brazil within any 12 months, consecutive or not. At 183 days or fewer you stay non-resident, and a new count starts at your next entry. Permanent visa holders and local hires are resident from arrival.³⁷

Residents pay tax on worldwide income, with foreign pay declared monthly through the carnê-leão. In 2026, taxable income up to R$5,000 ($1,000) a month owes no income tax, with relief phasing out by R$7,350 ($1,470). Brazil has a tax treaty with Canada but none in force with the US, the UK or Australia.^{37 38 39 40}

Living in Brazil as an American

US citizens need the US$80.90 e-visa to visit, with visits capped at 180 days a year. Brazil has no income tax treaty with the US, but it credits US federal income tax by reciprocity, within limits. US state and local taxes can't be credited.^{22 23 37 41}

You still file a US return on worldwide income, due June 15 for filers abroad. You also file an FBAR once your foreign accounts together top US$10,000 at any time in the year. Medicare generally doesn't pay for care in Brazil. A US and Brazil Social Security agreement lets workers combine coverage for old-age, survivor and disability benefits.^{42 43 46 77}

Healthcare in Brazil, SUS and private plans

The Constitution makes health a right of everyone, and the Migration Law guarantees migrants access to public health services. Legal residents can get an SUS card for free public treatment. Brazil has no reciprocal health deal with the UK.^{32 44 45}

The UK FCDO says foreign nationals can get emergency treatment in public hospitals, which in big cities are often crowded with long waits. Private hospitals won't admit you without proof of funds or insurance.⁷⁶

Private plans answer to the ANS, which caps waiting periods at 180 days for most care, 300 days for full-term childbirth and 24 hours for urgent and emergency care. ANS reference prices for June 2026 put an individual or association plan in São Paulo for an adult aged 29 to 43 at about R$570 to R$910 ($110 to $180) a month.^{21 47}

Brazil had 76 JCI-accredited organizations in October 2026, and 192 calls an ambulance. See healthcare in São Paulo for hospitals and plans, and the São Paulo moving checklist for what to arrange first.^{48 49}