Warm Welcomes & Wild Beauty in Brazil in 2026

Brazil wins expats over with friendly locals, stunning nature, and affordable living — though safety and getting around remain real worries.

➡️You’re welcome to use these 2026 Expat Insider results. Please remember to credit InterNations as the source, and where possible, include a link to www.internations.org.

In this article:

In Brief
Easy to Belong
Good Value, Tough Language
Nature Soars, Safety Sinks
Not the Place for a Career
The Typical Expat in Brazil
Further Reading

In Brief

Brazil takes 5th place out of 31 destinations in the Expat Insider 2026 survey. Its standout is the Ease of Settling In Index (4th), followed by a strong Personal Finance Index (6th) and a solid Expat Essentials Index (10th). However, results in the Working Abroad (24th) and Quality of Life (23rd) Indices hold it back.

Even so, expats are happy: 79% are satisfied with life there, comfortably above the 70% global average, which helps lift Brazil’s overall standing. Well over a third (37%) are even completely happy.

Easy to Belong

Brazil is one of the friendliest places an expat can land. It ranks 4th in the Ease of Settling In Index, including a 2nd place for how welcoming locals are toward foreigners — about four in five respondents (79%) rate this factor positively (vs. 61% globally). Asked whether or not they feel welcome in the country, a staggering 53% agree completely (vs. 29%).

Opinion

I love the climate, the nature, above all, and the people. They are more humane and kinder than in any other country I have lived. (Argentinian expat in São Paulo)

Opinion

Making local friends is easy — Brazil places 2nd, with about two-thirds of expats (68%) agreeing it’s simple, against just 39% worldwide. In fact, roughly half (48%) say their friends are mostly locals, more than double the 17% global average, a sign of how deeply newcomers integrate.

The country also cinches top 5 spots for having a personal support network (3rd) and being happy with one’s social life (4th).

Good Value, Tough Language

Brazil ranks 6th in the Personal Finance Index, with about half of expats (48%) rating the cost of living positively (vs. 39% globally) and a strong 5th-place finish for financial satisfaction.

Practical life is reasonable too, with Brazil 10th in the Expat Essentials Index. Results here include a great 5th place for Housing and a decent 13th spot for Digital Life.

The big obstacle is communication. The country ranks 29th for the ease of living there without speaking the local language — fewer than a quarter (23%) find it manageable, against 48% globally — and the language barrier was the leading pre-move concern, named by about two in five respondents (42%). Most expats do learn it, though — about seven in ten (73%) say they speak Portuguese at least fairly well — which smooths daily life over time.

Nature Soars, Safety Sinks

The Quality of Life Index (23rd) splits sharply.

Brazil ranks 3rd in the Leisure Options Subcategory and shines for the outdoors: 4th for climate and weather and 13th for the natural environment, which the vast majority (95%) rates positively (vs. 84% globally).

But Safety & Security (28th) drag the country down: only about half of respondents (53%) feel personally safe, far below the 81% global average, ranking Brazil 30th for this factor. Only South Africa receives a worse result.

Opinion

Rio de Janeiro is like a major major city. You have to be street smart and use your common sense. (US American expat)

Opinion

Getting around is hard too — the country ranks 30th for how easy and safe it is to get around walking and cycling and 29th for its road network. And while public transport is affordable (13th), options aren’t readily available (26th).

Not the Place for a Career

Work is the weakest link, with Brazil placing 24th in the Working Abroad Index. Expats are dissatisfied with their job security (26th), the state of the economy (22nd), as well as their work-life balance (23rd).

There are bright spots, though: Brazil ranks 9th for the local job market as well as overall job satisfaction and 10th for fair pay, where about three in five (63%) feel well compensated.

For many expats, work is not the key motivation for moving to Brazil, anyways. While twice the global average of expats (15% vs. 7%) were sent there by their employer, the sum of all work-related reasons remains below a quarter (24%). Instead, above-average shares moved for love (18% vs. 11%) or other family reasons (11% vs. 6%).