I am a U.S. citizen living in Brazil. I do not live in Rio, or São Paulo as most North Americans do. I do not live in any of the large coastal cities, although I have spent time in most of them. But, I have seen several posts from English speaking foreigners who intend to move to Brazil for one reason or another, many of whom have never visited Brazil. Just a few suggestions if you are one of these people.
First, if you are considering moving to Brazil, I suggest you spend some time here before making this decision and investing much time and effort into the move. Brazil isn’t for everyone. I spent several months here before I decided to come here to stay. My reasons had to do with some people I know here, and what we could do for each other. The process isn’t as easy as one might think. It isn’t like moving from New York to Arizona. I spent most of my life moving all over the U.S. for my work, and this is a much greater adjustment than anything I had imagined, even after having spent months here learning of the culture and practices.
The visa process is not a simple thing. Whether you intend to come as an investor using the Investor’s visa program, as the spouse of a Brazilian, as a student, a volunteer of a social program, or whatever the case. Do your homework first. Contact the Brazil embassy in your jurisdiction, and get the details. Also, you can get much info on the web, but a lot of it is misleading and incomplete. Each embassy has it’s own interpretation of the visa laws, and it’s own policies in issuing the visas. Bottom line, you cannot just show up in Brazil and start living here. Although there are many illegals here just as in any other country, if you are caught, you will be deported and restricted from returning to the country. I have not experienced this aspect of life here in Brazil, so others might be better able to comment on that.
Costs vary greatly, depending on where you live. I am in a fairly large city in the interior of Brazil, and my rent is US$115 per month, period. I pay no other costs besides that. Gas is about US$5 per gallon, and ethanol is about US$3.25. Transportation is not cheap. Cars are anywhere from 2 to 4 times the cost of the U.S. in any part of Brazil. My friend recently bought a 2001 VW Gol with 150,000 Km on it for US$10,000. I would consider that to be very high. I don’t know much about the takes yet, because I am doing voluntary work, but I believe the income tax is around 25%. Someone else can clarify that. Food is reasonable if you eat what the Brazilians eat. Things like American style mustard, salad dressing, walnuts, ham, bacon, whole grain foods, vitamins, good tender steaks, apricots, peaches, etc. are extremely high, at least where I live. Electronic goods, such as TVs, stereos, computers are out of this world. At least 3 times what they are in the U.S. A 32” flat screen TV is anywhere from US$1200 to US$2500.
Traffic is horrible. The best way I can describe traffic would be “organized chaos”. Be prepared for something very similar to bumper cars. The safest way to get around is by bus, but be prepared to spend a lot of extra time doing it. There are probably 3 times as many motorcycles as there are cars, and they pull out in front of you everywhere. I highly recommend NOT using the mototaxis. Motorcycle taxi service. I can’t believe anyone would put their life in the hands of one of these guys. I’m sure there are some who are safe, and drive responsibly, but which one would that be? They have a helmet law in Brazil, but they are allowed to carry the helmet in their hand, or prop it up on top of their heads rather than wear it in a manner that might prevent head injury in a crash. Many times you will see entire families perched on these tiny machines, with even infants of only days or months crammed in between the other passengers. The roads and streets are in terrible condition, and you must always watch for manhole covers missing, large holes in the pavement, etc.
The Brazilians in general are very nice people, but there is also the faction who hates foreigners, especially those from the U.S. I’m not sure why, but we seem to be despised by many people around the world today. Whether this is a result of having invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, or whether it is envy of our financial success, I’m not sure. Maybe some of both. I have traveled around the world since I was a teenager, and over the years, I have noticed a trend in this direction. It seems to me to be about a 50/50 split here where I live. Either I am admired and highly esteemed, or highly despised. And I do not believe this is a reflection on me, but just preconceived notions on the part of the Brazilians, as I get these attitudes right from the first introduction.
There are many other facets of this experience, and this post is greatly a reflection of the negative aspects of living here. To write of what I consider the positive aspects is another thing altogether. For me, the good outweighs the bad, but I wanted to post these observations for those who are considering the move, without having experienced any of these things. Most of these are things I did not fully experience or consider before my decision, and I feel it is valuable insight into life in Brazil. I do not intend to discourage anyone from coming here, but only hope people will better prepare themselves before making such a life altering decision, and investing much time and effort into making it a reality.
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