São Paulo at a Glance

Living in São Paulo

Visit the Mercado Municipal, the oldest market in the city!

If you consider going to Brazil as an expatriate, living in São Paulo may be your first choice. After all, São Paulo is Brazil’s major economic center. However, living in São Paulo can be quite challenging: We’ll take you through important facts on São Paulo, such as healthcare and safety.

Nowadays, there are over 11 million people living in São Paulo. Brazil’s largest city was founded as a small mission post in 1554. Unsurprisingly, modern life in São Paulo comes with all the amenities and grievances of a megacity. The urban lifestyle has a lot to offer to those living in São Paulo: a vibrant local culture, entertainment and leisure, shopping facilities and – last but not least – exciting business opportunities.

On the downside, air pollution, near-constant traffic congestions, crime, and extreme poverty are also part of daily life in São Paulo. All in all, however, most expats who have started a new life in São Paulo over the years have come to love their new home.

Living in São Paulo: Safety Issues

One aspect which particularly worries expats considering living in São Paulo is their personal safety. While living in São Paulo is considered much safer than, for example, life in Rio, Brazil’s megacities do have considerable problems with violent crime, especially homicide, mainly drug-related gang violence, and sexual assault.

Nevertheless, there are a couple of basic safety rules which foreigners living in São Paulo should adhere to:

Do not enter the city’s favelas, and avoid the "red light district" located on Rua Augusta and near the Estacao de Luz metro area.
Pay attention to your belongings in crowded spaces.
“Dress down” in public places and don’t display your most prized possessions.
Be especially alert after dark, in tourist areas, and nightlife districts.
Lock your car doors while driving.
Never try to resist a thief, robber, or mugger.
Always carry proof of your health insurance with you.

When you arrive, it is best to ask someone who has been living in São Paulo for a while about particular do's and don’ts regarding security issues. These also depend a lot on the area where you settle down for your expatriate life in São Paulo.

Life in São Paulo: Education

For expats with kids, an extremely important aspect of living in São Paulo is schooling for their children. Many kids of expats living in São Paulo attend international schools. If your children speak Portuguese, you could also enroll them in regular state schools while living in São Paulo.

Public schools are free of charge for everyone living in São Paulo, expats included. From the age of six, children first attend Ensino Fundamental (elementary school and middle school) for nine years. Afterwards, students can choose to go on to Ensino Médio (high school) for another three years. An adequate knowledge of Portuguese and a successfully completed adaptação (entrance examination) are prerequisites for any expat children living in São Paulo to attend a public school.