I have residence investor visa for about 14 months now, but have been coming to Brasil for around 6 years now. I currently live in Natal, but know several locations in the NE, Recife (would not live there )João Pessoa which is a lovely town, as well as Belém, Para (would not live there either!). I like the small villages on the coast where the people are very friendly, life simpler, but less complicated.

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Michael Bush
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Ok, Just trying to work out who has a reasonable perspective on what. I myself first went to natal 6 years ago and was out there in december. My father spends a month there a year and owns several propertys there and I own two. I currently live in London.
With regards to some of the earlier posts. Sorry I meant $R2.40 per litre on petrol which is about 70p? Compared to the Uk and Europe that is a hell of a lot cheaper!!
Electrical Goods I would definately say are similar price to that of the uk. With regards to coke, my step-mum is brazillian, my step brother and sister are brazillian, my girlfriend is brazilian and none of them like it and every time I have been there none of the brazilians i have met are too fussed on it.
Brand trainers were cheaper than the uk and other bits I will guess they probably are going to be more expensive as hardly anyone in brazil can afford branded clothes!! Who the hell goes there to buy branded clothes anyway?
Glasses were much cheaper than uk, I know because I lost a pair and had to get some.
Medicines and such were the same price.
I have never lived in the US so I can't say, but from what I have heard it is much cheaper than UK. So I would say Brazil wouldn't be much cheaper but compared to Europe it is definately cheaper!!!
JMBroad agree with what you say with regards to restaurants. There was a new Chahascuria I went to between natal and ponta negra that was about R$30 a head which for brazil is expensive but the quality and food was excellent. For something like that in the uk would be £30+ a head.
With regards to moving to Brazil and staying away from the life you are used to. Why the hell would you move if you are happy with the life you are used too?
You don't move to another country expecting the same!!
I lived in Singapore for 2 years it was completely different to the UK and I loved that about it, if I wanted a place to be like the UK then I wouldn't move anywhere!
To live a life in Brazil is definately much cheaper than here!! Someone here could hardly live on £1000 a month in Brazil you would live quite comfortably.

PS Michael I agree with you about Joao Pessoa, I do love that place too.

Hi Jamphi
I have to correct you on some things.
Petrol, today is R$2.59 -2.66, although at times it on offer at 2.25 ish. Price is dearer than Spain per litre (exchange rates?).
Electrical goods definitley more expensive than Europe. I reckon 50% more for washing machoines fridges,TV's etc. Cameras are 3 times the price, and mobile phones you get free in the UK on upgrade are worth R$1400 here.
The Brazilians in Natal love branded clothes and Midway Mall is where they buy. The centre is always busy. They must have money or the shops would be closed!
Medicines - you can buy 4 tablets of Paracetamol for a similar price of a carton of 60 in Spain. Simple Antibiotics like Amoxylin is about 8 times the Spanish price.
As for Coca Cola - it is the most popular soft drink in Rio Grande Do Norte.
I agree that for a chic restaurant (there are not really that many in Natal), you will pay a similar price as for a pub meal in the UK. Unless you like sweet wine, buy imported Chilean or Argentinian.

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Michael Bush
e-mail mbush5@aol.com
http://www.thecompletepropertysolution.com
skype name michaelbush

Michael,
Petrol was about 2.40 when I was there in Dec so you are probably right about prices.
Compared to the UK and definately Italy this is much cheaper than europe. I haven't been to Spain for a while so I am not sure. I am mainly comparing to the Uk here.
Not sure how much mobiles are but there were sure a lot of brazilians with them so they can't be that expensive! Phones here aren't free you still have to subscribe to an 18 month contract at like £30pm (£540) to get the phone. When we were looking at DVD players they were around the same price as curry's over here and a couple of other prices I saw for other goods looked around the same.
I know Midway, And it was mainly own branded clothes which were cheaper than your average store price here? Yes it was very busy but mainly for the non-branded stuff. I didn't see much branded stuff there.
If you say that about coke I'll accept it. Maybe it was just a co-indcidence with the people I have met. But when I bought it there it certainly wasn't expensive. In your average non-touristy restaurant it was the same price as most stores here and hence much cheaper than restaurants/bars here

Hi there,

The costs of living in Brazil are high.You need medical insurance:130.00 per month per person(reais),iptu 200-2,000(reais per month)schools 500-1,200 per month,car taxes 1,200 (depends on car engine per month)petrol average 400+per month,telephone,water and electricity,by no means cheap.Before you pick up a phone you are charge 39,00 just in taxes(.Taxes on everything are enormous . food shop (600-1000)per month if you like your pichanha and prawn then much more,homehelp salary miniumum 410 per month plus holiday 13th salaries that goes for schools also and thats before you have been to a beach and had a few beers and lunch or dinner ,bought a pair of pants and clothes .The list is endless.So Brasil is not cheap and only those that have secure and good salaries from overseas survive the rest flock back in droves.I have met many.They do not make a living to survive comfortably.We are fortunate but many are not!

Hi there,The costs of living in Natal are very high:medical insurance 130 per month(reais)
iptu council tax(200-2000 reais)car taxes(1000 minimum)depends on car engine,schools 400-1200 per mth,food bill (500 -1000 )basic shop ,helper at home 470+13th salaries with schools also, water,electirc,telephone,petrol(400+ depends on car)Thats the bare minimum,god help you if you want to use it day in day out!All of this before you get to the beach and have a lovely beer and some prawns or bought a present.Many people come and go here as life is difficult for them as they do not earn enough to survive.I know of people that used all their money and could not afford a return ticket .We are fortunate,but many absolutely are not.

Dotty,

I just added your list up using the high range, assumed 2 people with 2 kids going to school and threw in another 3k R$ for any other stuff, i also assumed that you owned the place you live in and you have a housekeeper and gardener.

That totals up to R$ 10860 which today is about € 4,011.38 or £ 3,193.46 per month.

Does that sound right to you?

Rob.

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Whatever way you look at it you need to earn a decent salary to survive here,whether it be the lower end or the upper,you can see it on the streets!As you can see from supermarket prices which are horrendously expensive.A packet of rice 2.00,beans,4.00,potaotes,2.59 ,pinapples 2.50,milk 2,90,cereal 7,00,chickpeas 7,00 250 grams the list is endless.When I moved here it was really,really cheap,but not now.

I totally agree that you need a decent salary to survive in Brazil if you are going to work there, but if you think R$10k (£3k) per month is expensive to live for 2 adults and 2 kids with a maid and a gardener then you need to go back to any European country for a while.

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