The Fernshore Index
The factors remote workers 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 remote workers about Brazil.
What does my employer need to give me for the digital nomad visa?
Resolution 45 asks for your declaration that you can work remotely and a contract or other proof of the link with a foreign employer. New York wants a contract signed by the employer plus an employer letter saying remote work is allowed; London takes a pay slip and employer letter.
Does Brazilian social security apply if my employer is abroad?
Unknown for you. The US and Canada agreements cover employment where it is done, with an exception when an employer sends you (up to five years for the US, 60 months for Canada). We did not find how this applies to someone who moves on their own. Australia and New Zealand have no agreement.
What time zone is Brazil in, and does it change with daylight saving?
São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Salvador, Fortaleza, Natal and Recife are all on UTC minus three. Brazil ended daylight saving in 2019, so the gap to your employer changes whenever your employer's country moves its clocks.
How do I get paid and open a bank account in Brazil?
A foreigner abroad can get a CPF, the taxpayer number, free at a Brazilian consulate. After entering on a temporary visa you register with the Federal Police within 90 days for the CRNM card. A private explainer says each bank sets its documents and most ask for a CPF and/or the CRNM.
What should I check when renting a home to work from?
The Tenancy Law lets a landlord ask for one guarantee only (a deposit, guarantor, insurance or fund shares), and a cash deposit cannot exceed three months' rent. Adverts list condominium fee and property tax on top of rent. Test upload speed and call quality at the address.
Do I pay tax in Brazil on a foreign salary?
Once you are resident, Brazilian tax applies to income from anywhere. Foreign income nobody taxed at source is paid monthly, converted at the central bank's buying rate. Foreign tax can be credited only under a treaty or reciprocity, and whether that applies to you is unknown. Canada has a treaty with Brazil.
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.