The Fernshore Index
The factors digital nomads look at first.
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.
Internet
54 of 100Mixed
24.08 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024).
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Brazil. Checked 15 October 2026.
Work and career
50 of 100Mixed
Mixed: a residence route for remote workers exists (the digital nomad residence, RN CNIg/MJSP 45/2021), but fixed broadband is 24.08 per 100 people (2024), under the 30 line.
Source: Resolução Normativa CNIg/MJSP nº 45, de 9 de setembro de 2021: visto temporário e autorização de residência para o nômade digital; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Brazil. Checked 15 October 2026.
Cost of living
73 of 100Strong
Price level 0.457 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Brazil. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
Unknown
Research for US passports is being checked
Visa, Canada passport
Unknown
Research for CA passports is being checked
Visa, Australia passport
Unknown
Research for AU passports is being checked
Visa, New Zealand passport
Unknown
Research for NZ passports is being checked
Community
81 of 100Strong
Expat Insider 2026 Ease of Settling In: 4th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
50 of 100Mixed
Florianópolis, the main city (the city Brazil's research packs lead with): 7 comfortable months a year (April to September and November). Monthly average daily highs run 21.1 to 29.5 °C; January, February, March, October and December have 150 mm of rain or more. São Paulo (Mirante de Santana) has 8.
Source: Normal Climatológica do Brasil 1991-2020: Temperatura Máxima Mensal e Anual (°C); Normal Climatológica do Brasil 1991-2020: Precipitação Acumulada Mensal e Anual (mm). Checked 15 October 2026.
Lifestyle
47 of 100Mixed
Expat Insider 2026 Quality of Life: 23rd of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life. Checked 15 October 2026.
The country
The rest of the research on Brazil.
The country page grades every factor, with its sources.
BrazilQuestions from digital nomads about Brazil.
Can a freelancer or self-employed person get the digital nomad visa?
Resolution 45 asks for an employment or service contract, or other proof of a link with a foreign employer. The Amsterdam consulate says a service contract with a foreign client is enough, but New York says business owners are excluded. Posts differ, so ask the consulate that serves you.
Can I work as a nomad on a visitor stay and keep moving?
Resolution 45 says nomad activities can be done as a visitor under the visit rules for your nationality, but the Migration Law bars paid activity for visit visa holders, and we found no guidance reconciling the two. A visit stay is 90 days, extendable by up to 90, never above 180 in a migratory year. Confirm first.
What income proof does the digital nomad visa ask for?
Regular income from a foreign payer (to be safe, more than US$1,600 a month), or funds in the bank (more than US$19,000). Proof differs by post: London takes a pay slip or three months of statements, and Sydney asks for six months of statements.
What happens with tax if I keep moving between countries?
More than 183 days in any 12 months on a temporary visa makes you a Brazilian tax resident, taxed on worldwide income, with monthly payments on foreign income not taxed at source. Leaving for good without the exit declaration keeps you resident for 12 months. Your home country's rules are separate.
Is internet in Brazil good enough for working on the move?
Brazil has 24.08 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (ITU, 2024), which Fernshore grades as mixed. Subscriptions are not speeds, and city speeds are not measured here, so test upload speed and call quality at the exact address before you commit to a stay.
Where do expats and nomads gather in Brazil?
InterNations, a private expat network, counts 34,103 members in São Paulo and 15,959 in Rio de Janeiro, its own counts, not censuses. Expat Insider 2026 ranks Brazil 4th of 31 for ease of settling in and 23rd for quality of life, a survey of expats.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [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).
- [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.
- [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).
- [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".
- [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.
- [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).
- [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.