Brazil (BR)
South America's largest country, combining major work hubs, world-famous culture, beaches, Amazon biodiversity, strong digital payments, and complex but navigable bureaucracy for expats.
Daily Life
Practical day-to-day information for living in Brazil.
🛒 Supermarkets
Cash-and-carry style; good for bulk shopping and families.
Large wholesale-style stores, competitive staples.
Hypermarket and supermarket formats in many cities.
Urban premium supermarket with imported goods.
Rio-focused premium supermarket popular with expats.
Fruit and vegetable stores; quality often better than supermarkets.
Opening Hours
Supermarkets: Mon–Sat 07:00–22:00, Sun 08:00–20:00 (varies by city and store). Shopping malls: Mon–Sat 10:00–22:00, Sun 13:00–21:00 (most states). Pharmacies: many 24 hours; all urban areas have 24h duty pharmacies (farmácia de plantão). Banks: Mon–Fri 10:00–16:00. Government offices (DETRAN, Receita Federal, INSS): Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00 — book via online agendamento. Most services require a scheduled appointment.
Sunday Rules
No general Sunday trading restrictions in Brazil. Supermarkets, malls and restaurants are open on Sundays — this is a normal shopping and leisure day, especially in cities. Government offices and banks are closed Sunday. In some states (notably SP and RJ), malls are restricted to afternoon Sunday hours by state agreements; check your city.
Recycling
Recycling varies by municipality. Separate bins exist in some condominiums and many public areas: blue for recyclables (plastics, metals, glass, paper) and grey for general waste. Catadores (informal recyclable collectors) are a critical part of the recycling chain — leave sorted recyclables visibly on top or separately bagged for collection. Electronics and batteries: take to ecopontos (municipal collection points) or supermarket collection. No national bottle deposit system. São Paulo, Curitiba and Porto Alegre have the most developed municipal recycling programmes.
Dining Out
Brazilian food culture centres on the kilo restaurant (restaurante a quilo) at lunch: choose from a buffet and pay by weight — excellent value at R$50–90/kg. Padarias (bakeries) serve pão de queijo, tapioca and coffee for breakfast from R$10–25. Boteco (local bar/bistro) is a social institution for cold chopp beer and petiscos. Delivery apps (iFood, Rappi) dominate urban evening meals. Mid-range restaurant dinner: R$80–200 per person. Upscale São Paulo/Rio dining: R$300–600+ per person.
Utilities & Internet
Electricity: Enel (São Paulo/Ceará/Goiás/RJ), Neoenergia (Bahia/Brasília), CEMIG (Minas Gerais), CELESC (Santa Catarina), etc. — provider depends on your state. Bills typically R$150–400/month for a 2-bedroom flat; AC in Rio/Recife/Fortaleza can push this to R$600+. Gas: piped COMGÁS in parts of São Paulo; botijão (LPG cylinder) for cooking elsewhere — R$120–150 per 13 kg cylinder. Water: included in condominium fees in most rentals. Internet: Claro/Net Vivo, Vivo Fibra, TIM Fiber, Oi Fibra, Algar — fibre speeds 300–1,000 Mbps in metro areas for R$100–200/month. Condominium fee (taxa de condomínio) covers building services and may include water — check before renting.
Cultural Tips for Expats
- → WhatsApp is the default for landlords, doctors, schools, service workers and businesses.
- → Pix is expected for instant payments; get it once you have CPF/bank access.
- → Security routines are normal: phone awareness, rideshare at night, careful ATM use.
- → CPF is requested everywhere: pharmacies, online shopping, phones, banks and government services.
- → Portuguese matters for bureaucracy, rentals and healthcare even if English works in some expat circles.
Quiet Hours
Noise rules are municipal and condominium-based rather than one national quiet-hours culture. Condominiums enforce internal rules strongly.
Apartments, parties, music, renovations and common areas
Drilling, construction, deliveries and elevator reservations
Party rooms, pools, barbecue areas and guests
- •Ignoring condominium bylaws
- •Hosting late parties in apartment buildings
- •Doing renovation work without booking elevator/permission
Warnings, condominium fines, neighbour conflict and possible lease issues.
Postal Services
Correios handles mail and parcels; private couriers are common for e-commerce. Addresses need full CEP postal code and condominium details.
Locker availability varies. Many buildings receive parcels through porteiros/concierge; confirm rules before ordering.
CPF, phone number and ID may be required for delivery, pickup or customs clearance.
Use tracked/registered services for official notices, tax documents and legal correspondence.
Formal forwarding is limited compared with some countries; update addresses directly with banks, tax, schools and insurers.
- →Always include CEP
- →Add apartment/bloco/tower details
- →Track international parcels through customs
- →Keep proof of delivery for legal notices