Pros and Cons of Living in Brazil

Last updated on Feb 12, 2023

Summary: The pros of living in Brazil include its vibrant culture, beautiful beaches, and diverse wildlife. Brazil is also home to some of the world's most vibrant cities, such as Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Additionally, Brazil has a strong economy and is a major player in the global market. On the other hand, the cons of living in Brazil include its high crime rate, high cost of living, and poor infrastructure. Additionally, Brazil has a history of political instability and corruption, which can make it difficult for foreigners to feel safe and secure.

What are the pros and cons of living in Brazil?

Expats, digital nomads and retirees living in Brazil responded:

"It is absolutely not useful for anyone to compare Brazil to the United States so I won't. I like living here and am in a very lucky situation. Although there are distinct disadvantages to living here mostly related to convenience, life here is excellent. It's a beautiful place. It's easy to travel by car or air when there is no pandemic. I love photography so it's a paradise in some ways. I'd love to build a homestead but I'm afraid the wife is a city girl so that's probably not in the cards. Maybe a weekend place where I could do a garden? On the downside, it can be uncomfortable to confront certain types of ignorance that are, for the most part, no fault of the ignorant ones. You have to understand where you are and that you have not had to live through what these folks have had to live through. They are conditioned just like anybody gets conditioned by their upbringing. They're mostly good hearted so if you want a laundry list of complaints, I'm not going to give it. If you want to find good here, they have it in spades. If you want to gritch and gripe, you'll have plenty of fodder for that as well. I keep reminding myself how extraordinary it is to have this opportunity. I would like to be able to talk with more people who like woodworking, people who are classical musicians and people who are "makers" but that's splitting hairs and I feel like that will come in time when we can talk to each other without the unreasonable fear we are under in the present moment," said one member in Rio de Janeiro.

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What do expats in Brazil appreciate most about the local culture?

"I love so many things here in Brazil. The nature, food, environment, most of the people, etc," explained one expat living in Curitiba.

What do expats find most challenging?

"The people - in general - are not very honest... you have to watch your back in almost all transactions. Plus, the people are lazy and do not do very good work. Plus, everything takes forever... terrible bureaucracy," said one expat in São Paulo.

"The service in shops and restaurants here is very bad compared to London. People can come across rude and ignorant sometimes. The difference between rich and poor is very obvious here and it can be quite upsetting to see. I find the food bland and there isnt as much variety. Things are very expensive here. Especially clothes, electrics and food," said a person living in Rio de Janeiro.

About the Author

Betsy Burlingame is the Founder and President of Expat Exchange and is one of the Founders of Digital Nomad Exchange. She launched Expat Exchange in 1997 as her Master's thesis project at NYU. Prior to Expat Exchange, Betsy worked at AT&T in International and Mass Market Marketing. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a BA in International Business and German.