Living in São Paulo, Brazil
São Paulo is a major city in Brazil (over 5 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 19°C over the year with about 1,381 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,616 a month to live centrally, and Brazil sits in our low to medium tax tier. For citizens from outside Mercosur and its associate states, long-term residency in Brazil is comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $2,000 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €2,616
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 19°C
- 1,381 mm rain a year
- Size
- Major
- over 5 million people
- Safety
- 38/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~150 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Comparatively open
- outside free-movement blocs
Safety and stability
Brazil scores 38 out of 100 on safety, safer than 3% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 6.7 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Brazil. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Climate
São Paulo averages 19°C across the year with about 1,381 mm of rain, which makes it mild and wet. It is warmer than 51% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits near the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Healthcare
Brazil scores 58 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 25% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Brazil.
Residency and visas
Comparatively open, for people from outside Mercosur and its associate states. Brazil offers genuine long-term residency through a retiree/pensioner means permit, an investor permit (company or real-estate) that grants permanent residence, and accessible family-based routes, with a temporary digital-nomad permit on top.
Citizens of Mercosur and its associate states have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
Bilateral arrangements make it easier for citizens of Portugal.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Brazil:
- Income: about $2,000 a month (Brazil retiree/pensioner residence permit (RN 40/2019), USD 2,000/mo pension or retirement income, single applicant; as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $99k (Brazil VIPER investor permit (RN 13/2017), BRL 500,000 company investment (innovation/tech startups can qualify at BRL 150,000); converted at BRL/USD 5.04; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 103 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 95 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Language and culture
Main languages: Portuguese. English proficiency: limited. Social openness scores 62 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,616 a month to live centrally in São Paulo, 4% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 61% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Taxes
Brazil sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see São Paulo in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Brazil runs at about 150 Mbps, faster than 53% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Questions couples ask about São Paulo
Is São Paulo a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on safety, healthcare and English. Expect a mild, wet climate (19°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks São Paulo and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in São Paulo?
We estimate about €2,616 a month for a couple living centrally, 4% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in São Paulo?
Brazil is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see São Paulo in their results.
Can foreigners live in Brazil long term?
Citizens of Mercosur and its associate states have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: comparatively open. Brazil offers genuine long-term residency through a retiree/pensioner means permit, an investor permit (company or real-estate) that grants permanent residence, and accessible family-based routes, with a temporary digital-nomad permit on top. Bilateral arrangements make it easier for citizens of Portugal. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $2,000 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $99k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in São Paulo?
São Paulo averages 19°C across the year with about 1,381 mm of rain, which makes it mild and wet. It is warmer than 51% of the cities we track.
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