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City in Brazil

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is Brazil's second-largest municipality, with 6.21 million residents in the 2022 census. The Federal Police lists a migration unit at Santos Dumont Airport, Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro has served the city since 1937, and InterNations, a private network, lists about 16,000 members here. [N1] [P1] [Rio de Janeiro S1] [I1]

Country
Brazil
Population
6,211,223 in 2022. Município de Rio de Janeiro, 2022 census (IBGE); not the wider metropolitan area. [N1]
Settings
By the sea, In a city [B1] [N1]
Weather
Warm all year [Rio de Janeiro W1]

Why it is here

Why Rio de Janeiro is on the list.

A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.

  • Rio de Janeiro has 6,211,223 residents in the 2022 census, the 2nd-largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, above the 500,000 line for a major metro. [N1] [N2]
  • InterNations (a private expat network) lists 15,959 members in Rio de Janeiro. [I1]
  • The Federal Police lists a migration unit (DELEMIG) at Santos Dumont Airport, open 7:00 to 17:00, and a migrant registration office (NRM) open 8:00 to 17:00. [P1]
  • Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro describes itself as an IB World Continuum School for preschool through grade 12, with a history since 1937. [Rio de Janeiro S1]

The Fernshore Index

How it grades, factor by factor.

Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.

The country

More on Brazil.

Cities

Other cities in Brazil.

Questions about Rio de Janeiro.

How big is Rio de Janeiro?

Rio de Janeiro had 6,211,223 residents in the 2022 census, the 2nd-largest of Brazil's 5,570 municipalities, after São Paulo. That counts the municipality only, not the wider metropolitan area.

Censo Demográfico 2022: População residente, Rio de Janeiro, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE); Censo Demográfico 2022: População residente (tabela 4714), Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). Checked 15 October 2026

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What is the weather like in Rio de Janeiro?

We cannot grade it: no INMET station represents the city. The only one in the municipality, Alto da Boa Vista (366 m), has highs of 24.1 to 30.6 °C and 150.5 mm of rain or more every month, so it may not describe the coast. Figures for the beaches are unknown here.

Normal Climatológica do Brasil 1991-2020: Temperatura Máxima Mensal e Anual (°C), Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária; Normal Climatológica do Brasil 1991-2020: Precipitação Acumulada Mensal e Anual (mm), Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária; Normal Climatológica do Brasil 1991-2020: Estações Convencionais, Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária. Checked 15 October 2026

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What do rents look like in Rio de Janeiro?

FipeZAP put Rio's average asking rent for ready apartments at R$54.96 a square metre in December 2025, 6th of the 22 capitals it follows and up 10.87% in 12 months. It is a private index of asking prices for new lets, not what tenants pay. We priced no Rio adverts, so rents for a given flat or district are unknown.

FipeZAP residential rental index, December 2025, Fipe and Grupo OLX (private index, not official). Checked 15 October 2026

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How safe is Rio de Janeiro for someone moving there?

Canada says to avoid all travel to the Complexo da Maré and Complexo da Penha, and lists Rio among places with high crime rates. It reports express kidnappings in the metropolitan region, drink spiking including on beaches, and theft on buses and the subway. Risk differs by neighbourhood.

Brazil travel advice and advisories, Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca). Checked 15 October 2026

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Where do I register with the Federal Police in Rio de Janeiro?

The Federal Police lists a migration unit (DELEMIG) at Santos Dumont Airport, open 7:00 to 17:00, and a migrant registration office (NRM) open 8:00 to 17:00. Temporary visa holders must apply to register within 90 days of entering. Hours can change, so check before you go.

Superintendência Regional no Rio de Janeiro (SR/PF/RJ), Polícia Federal; Decree 9.199/2017 (regulation of the Migration Law): articles 20 and 64, Presidency of the Republic (planalto.gov.br). Checked 15 October 2026

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Is there an expat community and an international school in Rio de Janeiro?

InterNations, a private expat network, lists 15,959 members in Rio; that is its own count, not a census. The Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro describes itself as an IB World Continuum School for preschool to grade 12, with a history since 1937. Other schools are not covered here.

Expats in Rio de Janeiro, InterNations (expat network, private); Home, Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro (EARJ). Checked 15 October 2026

Read the long answer

Sources

Where each figure comes from.

Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.

  1. [N1] Censo Demográfico 2022: População residente, Rio de Janeiro, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). Checked 15 October 2026. 6,211,223 residents of the município in the 2022 census (IBGE data API, table 4714, variable 93), read on 15 October 2026. The figure counts the municipality, not its metropolitan area.
  2. [P1] Superintendência Regional no Rio de Janeiro (SR/PF/RJ), Polícia Federal. Checked 15 October 2026. Lists the Delegacia de Polícia de Migração (DELEMIG) at Praça Senador Salgado Filho, 2nd floor of the departures terminal, Santos Dumont Airport, open 7:00 to 17:00, and a Núcleo de Registro Migratório (NRM) open 8:00 to 17:00.
  3. [Rio de Janeiro S1] Home, Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro (EARJ). Checked 15 October 2026. The school's own site: "EARJ is an IB World Continuum School — a proud community serving Preschool through Grade 12, with a rich history since 1937.".
  4. [I1] Expats in Rio de Janeiro, InterNations (expat network, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Page shows 15,959 members in Rio de Janeiro on 15 October 2026. A private network's own count: members are not all residents, and it is not a census.
  5. [B1] Rio de Janeiro, Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026. Coordinates -22.9111, -43.2056 from the article (read through the Wikipedia API); for the map point only. The article names the beaches of Barra da Tijuca, Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon. Used for the sea setting.
  6. [Rio de Janeiro W1] Normal Climatológica do Brasil 1991-2020: Temperatura Máxima Mensal e Anual (°C), Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária. Checked 15 October 2026. Station 83007 ALTO DA BOA VISTA (the only station in the INMET set inside the municipality). The maximum temperature normal, read as the average daily high, January to December: 30.2, 30.6, 29.1, 27.5, 25.0, 24.3, 24.1, 24.6, 25.2, 26.3, 26.8, 29.1 °C. The clima.inmet.gov.br site refused automated access, so the normals were read from the spreadsheets published on portal.inmet.gov.br. Used here only to list the weather type; the city is not graded on it.
  7. [N2] Censo Demográfico 2022: População residente (tabela 4714), Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). Checked 15 October 2026. Rio de Janeiro has the 2nd-largest 2022 population of the 5,570 municipalities (6,211,223), counted from the full table read through the IBGE data API on 15 October 2026.
  8. [C1] Price level index (GDP), Brazil, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 45.72 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026. The data.worldbank.org indicator page did not open for scripts on 15 October 2026 (HTTP 502 or timeout).
  9. [Brazil W1] Normal Climatológica do Brasil 1991-2020: Temperatura Máxima Mensal e Anual (°C), Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária. Checked 15 October 2026. Station 83897 FLORIANOPOLIS (the main city for Brazil's climate grade). The maximum temperature normal, read as the average daily high, January to December: 29.4, 29.5, 28.7, 26.9, 24.0, 21.9, 21.1, 21.8, 22.4, 24.2, 26.1, 28.3 °C. The clima.inmet.gov.br site refused automated access, so the normals were read from the spreadsheets published on portal.inmet.gov.br. Also read: Station 83781 São Paulo (Mirante de Santana). The maximum temperature normal, read as the average daily high, January to December: 28.6, 29.0, 28.0, 26.6, 23.4, 22.9, 22.9, 24.5, 25.2, 26.5, 26.9, 28.3 °C. The clima.inmet.gov.br site refused automated access, so the normals were read from the spreadsheets published on portal.inmet.gov.br.
  10. [W2] Normal Climatológica do Brasil 1991-2020: Precipitação Acumulada Mensal e Anual (mm), Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (INMET), Ministério da Agricultura e Pecuária. Checked 15 October 2026. Station 83897 FLORIANOPOLIS. Monthly rain, January to December: 241.3, 198.3, 180.4, 115.8, 126.2, 86.3, 100.8, 93.0, 146.9, 153.2, 146.6, 177.2 mm. Months with a high of 18 to 30 °C and under 150 mm of rain: April, May, June, July, August, September, November (7). Also read: Station 83781 São Paulo (Mirante de Santana). Monthly rain, January to December: 292.1, 257.7, 229.1, 87.0, 66.3, 59.7, 48.4, 32.3, 83.3, 127.2, 143.9, 231.3 mm. Months with a high of 18 to 30 °C and under 150 mm of rain: April to November (8).
  11. [Brazil S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Brazil ranks 124th of 163 countries (score 2.333).
  12. [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Brazil: 84 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO GHO API (indicator UHC_INDEX_REPORTED) on 15 October 2026.
  13. [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Brazil ranks 4th of 31 countries. The page text: "Brazil (4th), which ranks in the top 5 for every single factor of the index".
  14. [Q2] Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Brazil ranks 23rd of 31 countries in the Quality of Life Index. The page text says Brazil "delights with its Leisure Options (3rd)" but ranks second to last for personal safety.
  15. [K1] Resolução Normativa CNIg/MJSP nº 45, de 9 de setembro de 2021: visto temporário e autorização de residência para o nômade digital, Conselho Nacional de Imigração (CNIg), Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública (Portal de Imigração Laboral). Checked 15 October 2026. Art. 1 §1: a digital nomad is an immigrant who can do their work in Brazil remotely, with information and communication technologies, for a foreign employer. Art. 5 III: proof of means from a foreign paying source of US$1,500 a month or more, or bank funds of at least US$18,000. Arts. 3 and 4: initial residence of up to one year. Art. 6: the residence can be renewed for the same period. Art. 2: the activity can also be done as a visitor, under the stay and visa rules for the person's nationality. This is the temporary visa the consulates call VITEM XIV. Whether the resolution has been changed since was not checked.
  16. [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Brazil, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 24.08 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026. The data.worldbank.org indicator page did not open for scripts on 15 October 2026 (HTTP 502 or timeout).
  17. [R1] Resolução Normativa CNIg nº 40, de 2 de outubro de 2019: visto temporário e autorização de residência com base em aposentadoria e/ou pensão por morte, Conselho Nacional de Imigração (CNIg), Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública (Portal de Imigração Laboral). Checked 15 October 2026. Art. 1: a temporary visa for a retiree or death-pension beneficiary who proves a monthly transfer to Brazil of US$2,000 or more in foreign currency. Art. 3 III: other regular income can top up the amount. Art. 3 and art. 4 sole paragraphs: initial residence of up to two years. Art. 5: renewal is set by a separate normative resolution, which was not located, so whether and when this residence can become permanent was not confirmed. The text states no minimum age and no deposit.
  18. [R2] Visto Temporário XIV: Aposentadoria ou Pensão, Ministério das Relações Exteriores (Consulado-Geral em Faro). Checked 15 October 2026. Names "Resolução Normativa nº40/2019 do CNIg" and asks applicants to show a monthly transfer to Brazil of US$2,000 or more. The page gives no validity, initial stay or permanent-residence information.
  19. [R3] VITEM XIV: transfer of retirement/pension, Ministério das Relações Exteriores (Embaixada em Viena). Checked 15 October 2026. The visa is valid for up to 1 year; the initial period of stay is up to 2 years; holders register with the Federal Police within 90 days of first entry; proof of a monthly transfer of US$2,000 or more.
  20. [F1] EF English Proficiency Index: Brazil, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 482, global rank 75 (the page shows a global average of 488 and "16pt on previous score", with no direction given). The page does not print its edition year; it is the live country page read on 15 October 2026.

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