Home/Brazil
Updated November 2026 · 8 guides
Don't make costly mistakes when you buy in Brazil
What homes really cost, what you pay on top, the rules, and the mistakes foreign buyers keep making.
Land, price per m²
Median asking price · listings, Oct 2026
What's your plan in Brazil?
Pick one, and we'll show you the guide and the free articles to start with.
Where in Brazil? Place by place.
The same four numbers, side by side, for the places foreigners look at most.
| Place | Price a m² asking | 2-bed flat typical price | 2-bed rent a month | Airbnb occupancy over a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| São Paulothe business capital | $2,330 | $163k | $800 | 50% |
| Rio de Janeirothe iconic beach city | $2,150 | $151k | $750 | 55% |
| Florianópolisthe island beach city | $2,580 | $181k | $800 | 45% |
| Balneário Camboriúthe high-rise beach town | $3,000 | $210k | $850 | 45% |
| Salvadorthe historic bahia capital | $1,690 | $118k | $550 | 48% |
| Fortalezathe sunny northeast city | $1,830 | $128k | $550 | 50% |
| Natalthe cheap dune coast city | $1,350 | $95k | $450 | 45% |
| Maceióthe turquoise beach city | $1,920 | $134k | $600 | 52% |
| João Pessoathe quiet green beach city | $1,460 | $102k | $500 | 48% |
| Búziosthe chic resort peninsula | $2,500 | $175k | $900 | 42% |
Asking prices for flats. 2-bed flat: about 70 m². Rent: long-term lease, unfurnished. Our best estimates, from listings and our guides.
The 8 traps foreign buyers fall into.
You need a CPF tax number to sign or pay anything. Get it at a consulate or online first.
A signed deed isn't enough. Until it's filed at the property registry (cartório), the seller's debts can hit it.
If the seller has debts or labor cases, a court can cancel your purchase. Ask for all clearance certificates first.
Seafront marinha land means a yearly fee, plus 5% of the value to the state when you sell.
Wire the money and register it with the Central Bank, or taking it back out gets hard.
Transfer tax (ITBI) is 2 to 3%, plus deed and registry fees. Plan 4 to 5% on top in all.
Unpaid condo fees and IPTU tax pass to you. Get a no-debt letter from the building first.
Rural land and border areas have caps and need approval. City flats and houses are fine.
From offer to keys in about 8 weeks.
Paying cash; a mortgage adds 1 to 2 months.
Read our research.
Buying
Can foreigners buy property in Brazil?Can Americans buy and own property in Brazil?Can foreigners get a mortgage in Brazil today?Prices & market
How much does property cost in Brazil now?How much does a house cost in Brazil now?Where is the best place to buy property in Brazil?Retiring in Brazil? Know what it really costs before you go.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Retire in Brazil: everything explained before you leave
Inside the guide
- How much you need saved, with or without a pension
- What a month really costs you there
- Where foreign retirees actually live
- Which neighborhoods fit your budget
- What health insurance costs at your age
- Whether you can still join a plan after 65
- Where to get serious care, and how fast help arrives
- How your budget changes as you get older
- Whether Brazil taxes your pension
- Which residency fits a retiree
- What buying and owning a home really costs
- What help at home costs
Moving to Brazil? Get the visa, the area and the budget right.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Moving to Brazil: everything explained before you go
Inside the guide
- Which visa lets you move, and how long it takes
- What life costs each month, alone or as a family
- Which neighborhoods feel safest
- Which areas fit a $1,000 rent
- How health plans work, and up to what age you can join
- Where to get serious care
- Whether Brazil taxes your remote salary
- Whether there’s a tax treaty with your country
- What your US paycheck is really worth there
- What a housekeeper or nanny costs
- What buying a home costs on top of the price
- What owning a home costs each year
Foreign buyers always make the same mistakes in Brazil. Don’t be next.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Buying in Brazil as a Foreigner: how to make zero mistakes
Inside the guide
- What a foreigner can and can’t buy
- Every step, from offer to keys
- Who does what, and who to double-check
- The traps foreign buyers fall into
- What you’ll pay on top of the price
- How to move your money in safely
- Whether buying gets you residency
- How much tax you’ll owe
- Who inherits your home, and how fast
- What owning costs you every year
- What’s changed for foreigners this year
- What could go wrong, and how to avoid it
Sellers in Brazil know you’re a foreigner. Know the real prices first.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Brazil: the real property prices, as of today
Inside the guide
- What homes really sell for, area by area
- Which areas are overpriced right now
- How much room you have to negotiate
- What your budget really gets you
- What you’ll pay on top of the price
- What owning costs you every year
- How much tax you’ll owe
- The rules foreigners trip over
- The areas to stay away from
- Who to trust, and who to double-check
- What’s changed in the last 12 months
- What could go wrong, and how to avoid it
Buying to rent out in Brazil? Don’t make a bad investment.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Starting a Rental in Brazil: everything explained to maximize your income
Inside the guide
- Where rentals really pay off
- What a rental earns once costs are paid
- Airbnb or long-term: which wins where
- The months your rental will sit empty
- The costs owners always forget
- How much of your rent goes to tax
- What the rules allow on Airbnb
- What buying costs before your first guest
- Which areas to avoid as a landlord
- How many years until it pays for itself
- What you’ll lose when you sell
- The classic mistakes that sink a rental
Don’t sign anything in Brazil before you know every fee.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Brazil Fees & Taxes: what to pay, what to avoid, and how to pay less
Inside the guide
- Every fee you’ll pay, line by line
- Who pays what: buyer or seller
- Where you can legally pay less
- The costs nobody mentions upfront
- What owning costs you every year
- How much tax you’ll owe on rent
- What you’ll pay when you sell
- How to move your money in cheaply
- Who does what, and what they charge
- The tax traps foreigners fall into
- What’s changed in the last 12 months
- What could go wrong, and how to avoid it
Don’t buy in Brazil at the wrong time.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Brazil Market: everything you need to know before making a decision
Inside the guide
- Where prices are heading, area by area
- Whether now is a good time to buy
- What’s pushing prices up, or down
- How rents are moving, and why it matters
- How long homes take to sell
- How much room sellers leave to negotiate
- What the exchange rate does to your price
- Buy or rent: what makes more sense
- What you’ll lose if you sell too soon
- What you’ll pay on top of the price
- What’s changed in the last 12 months
- What could go wrong, and how to avoid it
Buying a plot in Brazil? Don’t sign before you’ve checked it all.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Buying Land in Brazil: everything to check before you buy
Inside the guide
- What land really costs, area by area
- What you can build, and what you can’t
- The checks to run before you sign
- Coast, border, farmland: the special rules
- What you’ll pay on top of the price
- What owning land costs every year
- How much tax you’ll owe
- Who does what, and who to double-check
- How long it takes, from offer to title
- What you’ll pay when you sell
- What’s changed in the last 12 months
- What could go wrong, and how to avoid it
A question about Brazil?
A real person answers within 24 hours.
Can buying get you residency in Brazil?
Yes. A home from about $141,000 in the north, $201,000 elsewhere.
- 2 years, then indefinite
- Must be a finished or building home
- 2 years temporary
- Register within 90 days
- 1 year, renewable once
- No path to permanent
Brazil immigration council (RN 36, 40, 45) · R$4.97 for $1 · Updated
Before you sign in Brazil: the papers to ask for.
Get them all in your lawyer's hands before any deposit.
Your Brazilian tax number. Nothing moves without it.
The registry record: who owns it today.
Any mortgage, lien or seizure on it.
No unpaid city property tax.
No lawsuits or debts that could hit the sale.
Brazil property registry practice · Law 14.382 of 2022 · Updated
What you pay on top of the price in São Paulo.
On a R$1M (~$201,000) flat, count about $10,000 more.
São Paulo city tax · 2026 notary fee tables · The seller usually pays the agent · Updated