Find a place to live and work
Choose a location around your days, not the photos
Before you look at listings, write down what an ordinary weekday needs:
- A supermarket, pharmacy and somewhere to eat within walking distance.
- How you will get around: walking, public transport or a ride-hailing app, and how far the nearest coworking space is.
- Your working hours. Brazil has more than one time zone, so confirm the local time against your team’s calls.
- Power for your kit. Mains voltage differs between regions, so check your chargers and bring the right adapter.
Check the essentials before you pay
Ask the host specific questions and get the answers in writing:
- Wi-Fi: a recent speed test screenshot, including upload speed, and whether there is a backup connection if the main one drops.
- Workspace: a real desk and chair, not just a sofa, plus a fan or air conditioning in the room you will work in.
- Noise: street traffic, bars, building work and weekend parties. Read recent reviews for mentions of noise at night.
- Rental terms: what is included (utilities, cleaning, internet), the deposit, the cancellation policy, how payment works, and who fixes things when they break. Our guide to renting in Brazil covers longer leases, deposits and guarantors.
Try before you commit
Book your first week or two somewhere flexible. Walk the area in the morning and after dark, test the route to your coworking space, and see how the Wi-Fi copes with a full working day. Then extend, or move somewhere that suits you better.
Example: coliving in Rio de Janeiro
Coliving bundles a room, a workspace and a social calendar, which can make a first month easier. Nomadico’s Rio de Janeiro house in Santa Teresa, for instance, advertises private and shared rooms, a coworking space, community events and an on-site community manager. Its website also lists locations in Florianópolis, Pipa and Bahia. Check current prices, minimum stays and house rules directly with the operator.
Plan for safety and medical care
These are two separate jobs. Personal safety is about everyday habits that reduce the chance of theft or harm. Medical planning is about what happens if you get ill or injured. Health insurance helps with the second; it does not replace the first, and it does not cover a stolen phone or laptop.
Personal safety
Read your own government’s travel advice for Brazil before you go. The UK government’s Brazil safety advice, for example, includes these practical points:
- Keep your phone out of sight in the street and on public transport. Thieves target phones, particularly between 4pm and 9pm.
- Book rides through the official app, check that the car and driver match the app, and wait somewhere safe. Avoid hailing taxis on the street.
- Take only what you need to the beach, and avoid city beaches after dark.
- Keep your card in sight and check the amount on the terminal before you pay.
- Watch your drink being poured, and share your plans with someone when meeting people from dating apps.
- If someone threatens you, do not resist. Hand over what they ask for.
Ask your host or community manager which routes and areas locals avoid, and ask again when you move. Turn on your phone’s lock and remote wipe, and back up your laptop before you travel.
Save Brazil’s emergency numbers: 190 for police and 192 for an ambulance.
Medical care
According to the UK government’s Brazil health advice, foreign nationals can get emergency treatment in public hospitals, which are often overcrowded. Private hospitals may not accept you without evidence that you can pay or are insured. The same advice lists yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and oropouche among health risks.
Before you leave:
- Arrange travel insurance that covers medical treatment abroad and medical evacuation, and read what it excludes.
- See a travel health clinic at least eight weeks before departure to check vaccines and mosquito advice.
- Pack enough of any regular medication, with a copy of your prescription.
- Find the nearest pharmacy and private clinic or hospital to where you will stay.
- Save your insurer’s emergency contact details on your phone and on paper.
Pay for everyday life
Cards and cash are only part of the picture in Brazil. Pix, the instant payment system created by Brazil’s central bank, has been running since 16 November 2020, and understanding it will make daily life simpler.
How Pix works
According to the Banco Central do Brasil, Pix moves money between accounts in a few seconds, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. To pay, you either scan the recipient’s QR code or enter their Pix key, an alias such as a phone number, email address, Brazilian tax ID or random code. Pix works between people as well as businesses, so a landlord, tour guide or friend splitting a bill might ask you to pay by Pix. What is Pix? explains the system in more detail.
One detail matters for visitors: once a Pix payment starts, it cannot be reversed. Check the recipient’s name and the amount on screen every time before you confirm.
Prepare a few ways to pay
- Bring a card that works abroad, plus a backup card kept separately.
- Carry a small amount of cash for places that do not take your other methods.
- Work out before you land how you will make Pix payments, so you are not trying to set something up at a checkout.
Pix is offered through the apps of participating financial and payment institutions. Liminal, which publishes this guide, helps international visitors make Pix payments in Brazil. Our guide to Pix for foreigners walks through the options.
Find your community
A month passes quickly. The people you meet in the first week often shape the rest of it, so put a few things in your calendar early.
- Coworking spaces. Many run lunches, talks or after-work drinks, and some offer day passes. Ask what is coming up when you visit.
- Coliving houses. These often have a built-in social calendar. If you are not staying in one, ask whether events are open to non-guests before turning up.
- Local groups. WhatsApp and Facebook groups are a common way nomad communities share information. Read the group rules, introduce yourself, and ask specific questions.
- Language exchanges. Even basic Portuguese changes how a place feels. Language exchange meetups pair you with locals learning your language, which is one of the easiest ways to meet Brazilians rather than only other visitors.
- Shared interests. Running groups, surf lessons, dance classes, volunteering or a regular football game give you a reason to keep seeing the same people. Becoming a regular at one café or padaria works too.
Example: Pipa, Rio Grande do Norte. The Pipa Digital Nomads community’s public Linktree links to a WhatsApp group application and a Facebook group, and describes a newcomer resource covering transport, SIM cards and places to work. Check current activity and joining rules yourself.
Your arrival checklist
- Check entry requirements for your nationality and see a travel health clinic before you fly. Staying longer? Read about Brazil’s digital nomad visa.
- Arrange travel insurance that covers medical treatment abroad.
- Book a flexible first week or two, with Wi-Fi and a desk confirmed in writing.
- Save 190 (police), 192 (ambulance) and your insurer’s emergency number.
- Find your nearest pharmacy, clinic or hospital, and supermarket.
- Sort out mobile data: a local SIM or an eSIM (see SIM cards in Brazil).
- Install a ride-hailing app and turn on trip sharing.
- Turn on your phone’s remote wipe and back up your laptop.
- Carry two payment methods and some cash, and know how you will pay with Pix.
- Join one community group and go to one event in your first week.
- Learn ten words of Portuguese, starting with obrigado or obrigada.