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Avenida Paulista, São Paulo Brazil

Is São Paulo safe?


I had a relative murdered there. Colleagues assaulted. Acquaintances victims of pick pocketing.  For all those motives, when someone asked me Is São Paulo Safe? , the obvious answer should be a big, bold no, certainly not.

However, this is not my opinion. At least not nowadays.

São Paulo can be considered a safe place. In this article, I will tell you why.

First things first: São Paulo can be either one of the 26 states of Brazil or the capital of this same state. The city has a population of 12.2 million people. This makes it the largest city of Brazil, and one of the largest cities in the world.

Only São Paulo state alone have an area equivalent to the entire United Kingdom, and a population comparable to Spain.

It is important to have those dimensions in mind. We must remember that Brazil is a continental country when we talk about violence. While I would classify Brazilians cities like Maceió or Belém as very dangerous, the question is São Paulo safe have a different answer from me:

Yes, it is relatively safe to live there, depending on few conditions.

Below I will list the three main reasons.

1st  – The Violence is very location-specific.

São Paulo (the capital city, not the state) have 96 districts. 33 of those districts have a homicide rate smaller than the USA (4.8 per 100 thousand inhabitants).

On the other hand, 28 districts have a homicide rate higher than Nigeria.

Zona Leste, Cidade Tiradentes
Zona Leste (the East Zone), the place where is located the dangerous Jaçanã district.

Some districts, like Jaçanã, are more violent than Mexico.

Jardim Paulistano, RIch zone of São Paulo
Jardim Paulista, Jardim Paulistano and neighboring regions have crime indicators comparable to Europe.

Other districts, like Jardim Paulista, are safer than Germany.

Probably the reader is guessing, correctly, that those enormous discrepancies have their origin in income levels and presence of law enforcement. This may lead to the following conclusion:

If near one third of the districts are super-dangerous, then it is dangerous to live there because people need to go to different parts for different reasons!

This is not entirely true. São Paulo have plenty of traffic jams. Enough to rank among the Cities with the worst traffic in the world. Across the years, the city bypassed this problem by developing a peculiar way of urban organization.

Every district of São Paulo works like a mini-city, having nearly everything you need. This makes unnecessary for someone to go out of his neighbourhood frequently and face gigantic traffic jams.

I lived in São Paulo, in the western region (more specific, in the Butantã district). Never had been to any of the violent Zona Leste (eastern zone) districts, except those closer to the center like Tatuapé. I was once in a very dangerous district in the extreme south, but only because I took a wrong bridge when crossing the Pinheiros river.

If you ask people who lived there their whole lives, chances are their story will be similar. Most of the time they spend in their neighbourhood and adjacent districts. I am not saying this is good. This kind of social segregation is bad in the long term. However, I am just stating a fact: You will not need to cross dangerous districts frequently, unless you live close to one.

2nd – The Violence is decreasing in São Paulo. Everywhere.

It is a difficult task to define the reasons behind endemic violence in a country like Brazil. It is equally difficult to list the reasons behind sharp falls or rises in the criminality across extended periods.

I am not going to do that here, but just state a fact:

Violence is falling in most states of Brazil consistently for already some years. In São Paulo state this delinquency reduction is even sharper.

Homicide Rate in São Paulo
Homicide rate in São Paulo. Source: São Paulo State Government

In 2001, the homicide rate of São Paulo was 33.3 per 100 000 people. Less than two decades later, this number felt to 6.42.

To put this into perspective, in 2001 São Paulo had a murder rate similar to Mexico. Now it is just a little above the USA.

Criminality in São Paulo
Criminal statics of the ABC region (Metropolitan Region of São Paulo). Source: Public Security Secretary of São Paulo.

The fall in criminality is not only about homicides, but in other crimes as well. It is also not restricted only to specific regions, but widespread. The chart above is about the ABC region, metropolitan cities of the São Paulo conurbation. Even though it is in Portuguese, you can see crimes like latrocínio (robbery + murder) decreasing 58% in the first semester of 2019 compared to the previous year.

3rd – There are ways to dodge most of the risks.

While there is not a 100% efficient system to avoid thieves and other crooks, most of the paulistanos (people from São Paulo) already mastered the daily habits to not become a victim.

More details on this you can see in one of the chapters of my book Budget Travelers, Digital Nomads & Expats: The Ultimate Guide: 50 Tips, Tricks, Hacks and Ways. You can also check this article I wrote for Medium about some of those tricks.

Things like not expose cell phones in the central region, not use expensive photographic machines publicly, or have a dummy wallet. A common accessory of people in the Sé region (a place ridden by pickpocketers) is the pochete (sort of a money belt). It makes you look fat, but is great to keep your documents and cards safe.

Conclusion: Is São Paulo Safe?

Going against the common belief that everywhere in Brazil is dangerous, I would answer the question Is São Paulo Safe? With yes, it is.

It is safer compared to most regions in Brazil, and even in Latin America. It is also relatively safe if you live in half of the districts and do not wander in the other half. But the best news is: São Paulo is getting safer year after year, continuously, during decades already.

Author: Levi Borba, founder of Colligere Expat Consultancy, former RM specialist for the world´s greatest airline,  co-founder of Nearby Airport Hostel Warsaw and author of the book Moving Out, Living Abroad and Keeping Your Sanity. You can check some of his articles here.

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The best city for Digital Nomads and (some) expats Digital Nomads

The best city for Digital Nomads and (some) expats!…

For already a while, southeast Asian hotspots like Chiang Mai (Thailand) or Bali (Indonesia) top list after list of the finest cities for remote workers. In a year with enormous economical and social changes, a new serious competitor rises. Going forward to my conclusion: right now, this is the best city for Digital Nomads and (some) expats! Forget Chiang Mai!.

Bridge Hercilio Luz, Florianópolis, Brazil. One of the best cities in the planet for Digital Nomads
It is not San Francisco, but that bridge and the exciting technology sector may remind the Californian city.

But… Why some? Because this applies only if your income is not in the local currency.

How the Brazilian Ibiza, a favourite place of national celebrities, turned (very) affordable.

Florianópolis is a city with almost 500k inhabitants in the state of Santa Catarina. This state in the southern region of Brazil was called, for few occasions, the Brazilian Ibiza, for being the darling of South American upper-class youth.

Reasons like delightful beaches, pleasant climate and 3 of the best clubs in the planet (including the 1st place in the annual DJ Mag club ranking, Green Valley) contributed for the just comparison between Santa Catarina and the Mediterranean islands.

But how comparisons with an overpriced European island are useful for digital nomads looking for low living costs?

It is because Florianópolis is not overpriced anymore. At least if you earn in dollars!

There are two reasons for this city turning  inexpensive in the last years.  The chart below explains the first one better than I could:

Comparison between the Brazilian Real and American Dollar in the last 10 years
How many Brazilian reais 1 dollar could buy. Chart of the last 10 years. Source: www.xe.com

Let’s imagine a good-located, beachfront 1-room apartment. In 2012, it had a monthly rent of 1400 reais. This is equivalent to 700 dollars. Due to its attractiveness, since 2012 real estate in Florianópolis inflated near 53%, so this apartment would cost now 2140 reais.

But since the real lost a ton of value in the last decade, this price is equivalent to only 430 dollars nowadays. For a beachfront apartment.

Not believing me? Just take a look at the properties available in Florianópolis at Airbnb and you may find even cheaper deals.

Canasvieiras beach, Florianópolis. Beach front view.
This is the view I had last year, when I was there (Canasvieiras beach). The price paid for that was incredibly good!

With the strong devaluation of the Brazilian currency in the last 10 years, the once pricey Ilha da Magia (Magic Island in Portuguese, one of the many nicknames for this place) have prices similar to cheap backpacking destinations in Asia.

The second reason that made the capital of Santa Catarina more affordable are the years of economic turmoil in the region. By region, I mean not only Brazil but also the neighbouring Argentina. In fact, not long ago, Argentinians drove to there in such considerable numbers that some places like Canasvieiras beach had restaurants with menus in Spanish instead of the Portuguese (many of them still have, although you can ask for one written in Portuguese or English).

The last time I stayed in that beach, the Uber driver told me:

Oh, you are going to the Argentinian enclave!

Today the numbers of tourists from Argentina and other neighbouring countries (Uruguay and Paraguay) are still significant, but not close to what they were in past decades.

So, are you telling me Brazil is a great place for Digital Nomads?

Definitely I am not telling you that.

Being a continental country, Brazil have immense contrasts, with the same order of magnitude someone can see in Europe between Portugal and Ukraine, for example.

Brazil has many problems. The most famous of them is violence. And in this point, the state of Santa Catarina is like an oasis. 

While in 2019 Brazil had a homicide rate of 19.7 per 100 thousand people (a considerable reduction from the 32.4 of 2017), Santa Catarina have a rate of 2.8 per 100 thousand. This is a similar level to European countries like Hungary.

Other common problem of Brazil is the small share of English-Speaking population. This is a fair complaint. According to the British council only 5% of the Brazilians speak English.  However, due to its touristic-driven economy, high-standards of life and level of education, in Florianópolis you will not find much problem to live without speaking Portuguese.

If you took our quiz of The best country to visit after the lockdown? and your result was Brazil, this is the kind of place you are meant to be.

Right, so going back to costs: The rent is cheap (in dollars) in Florianópolis, but what about the rest?

The comparison I made at the beginning of this post was not an accident. According to Expatistan (a great source for global prices), Chiang Mai and Florianópolis have virtually equal costs.

Living costs comparison between Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Florianópolis, Brazil, making it the best city for Digital Nomads and (some) expats
Price comparison between Chiang Mai, in Thailand, and Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Source: Expatistan.

In the comparison jumps to the eyes how cheap are the food costs in Florianópolis. In fact, even though Brazilians complain that everything is expensive there, when they travel out, they realize how in fact grocery articles are more expensive worldwide. After all, you can buy a liter of milk in Brazil for less than 70 cents of a dollar.

The entertainment prices in Florianópolis may look expensive in the comparison above, but as you may remember from the beginning of this article, in the summer it turns into a party-island for jet-setters. However, cheaper alternatives exist in plentiful numbers.

A Caipirinha at the beach (exception for the overpriced Jurere beach) will cost around 10 reais, or 2 dollars. This is almost half of the price of other Brazilian touristic cities like Rio. Depending on the type of nomad you are, this will be more important than the lower milk prices.

Safe, inexpensive apartments and cheap drinks! I am almost convinced, but what can I do there in my free time?

1st – Beach hopping

Some people say Florianópolis have 42 beaches. Others put this number near 100. What you can be sure is that there are options for every taste. In the eastern side, surfers have an ideal playground at Mole and Joaquina beaches. In the North are popular beaches like Canasvieiras. Just at the side of Canasvieiras is Jurerê Internacional, with its beach huts called “paradores”, bars and nightclubs. Upper-class youth have sunset beach parties in clubs like P12 and Posh. In the south, fishing villages offer peace and typical cuisine, as well as empty spots like the beaches of Pântano do Sul and Ribeirão da Ilha.

In the summer, the tanned and good-shaped youth of the region flocks to its sunny beaches. Daily physical practice is almost a rule. Besides beach football and volleyball, there are two other sports whose practice have privileged conditions on the magical island. They are Surf and Sand board.

One of the great beachs of the best city for Digital Nomads and (some) expats
Picture I took last time I was in Floripa. Even with my very limited photographic skills, still looks wonderful.

2nd – Party

This city once won the title of ‘Party Destination of the Year’ by The New York Times. In a 100 km radius you have three of the best clubs in the planet. Many other party places of the region could easily be in the same ranking.

3rd – Learn to Surf (or Sand board)

Florianópolis, or to be more specific, Joaquina Beach, have a unique characteristic: only few meters separate you from “surfing” sand dunes and sea waves. With instructors available, it is a perfect opportunity to learn both sports in a privileged scenario.

What about the local communities of digital nomads and expatriates in Florianopolis?

Maybe this is the single point where my comparison between Floripa and Chiang Mai favours the Thai city.  The nomad community and the expat numbers are much greater in Chiang Mai, however they are quickly developing in the capital of Santa Catarina state.

One common type you will find there is the tourist-turned-a-resident. Being such an attractive place with remarkable quality of life and good-quality real estate, is not uncommon to find foreigners that bought apartments or villas to spend long periods on this magical island.

Conclusion – the best city for Digital Nomads and (some) expats is Floripa.

The city is booming with entrepreneurship, especially in technology. The IT gross product is nowadays bigger than tourism itself! The devaluated local currency, networking opportunities and good infrastructure make it a very promising destination for remote workers with dollarized income.

There is a crescent number of coworking spaces and cafés friendly to remote workers. You can check a map of them on the island here. In Facebook or Meetup it is possible to find a broad range of networking events and social occasions for expatriates and nomads. Examples are groups like Digital Nomads Floripa on Meetup or the Gringoes in Floripa on Facebook.

Before finishing this article, an important advice: even though the expatriate and digital nomad community in Florianópolis are growing, it would be a wasted opportunity to restrict your social meetups only with fellow foreigners.

Meet the locals too! Brazilian people are very social, and the catarinenses are no different, even though other Brazilians make jokes with the smugness about their land.

Since their island is one of the most beautiful places in the country, who can blame them? ☺


Author: Levi Borba, founder of Colligere Expat Consultancy, former RM specialist for the world´s greatest airline. Co-founder of Nearby Airport Hostel Warsaw and author of the books Budget Travelers, Digital Nomads & Expats: The Ultimate Guide: 50 Tips, Tricks, Hacks and Ways to Free Stuff & Cheaper Flights in a Practical Guide to Travel Plans and  Moving Out, Living Abroad and Keeping Your Sanity.

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