Accommodation and living expenses

Just find a Real Estate Office and ask for rentals based on the West Side of the City.

Since they do not know where West Side is ( Brazilians tend to be impaired on Cardinal Points), then ask for locales by

Jardim Novo Campos Eliseos

Any residential community alongside Rodovia dos Bandeirantes

As for an expat, it would be suitable rather to be close to Downtown ( Botafogo ) and Ponte Preta, or Cambui, Taquaral, where curbside appeal would be nicer. On the later, it would require you to own a car, since Campinas public transportatition infra-structure is subpar, even in getting from downtown towards your Campus.  Outside Central areas, the city is a huge sprawl, and getting around without a car is a challenge.

Avoid going to Jardim Itatinga, it is a well known Prostitution enclave stuck by the side of the highway.

@sprealestatebroker Thanks a lot for being kind enough to respond. I'll surely take the advice.

@sprealestatebroker What's the best way to get the accommodation from outside of Brazil before moving to Campinas, Brazil? I have no one there and would prefer buying a property eventually but will need a rent first to move into with my wife?

    @sprealestatebroker What's the best way to get the accommodation from outside of Brazil before moving to Campinas, Brazil? I have no one there and would prefer buying a property eventually but will need a rent first to move into with my wife?
   

    -@ifeanyiohaji22

First, full disclosure... I am a licensed Real Estate Broker.   I occasionally visited Campinas for the eye doctor ( Instituto Penido Burnier, still a good one).   Yet, I would not be as resourceful to you on your home search. You probably need to engage a local residing broker to get the results you deserve.

Getting this out of the way...

Campinas is going vertical at certain posh neighborhoods ( Taquaral, Cambui ). But Campinas proper and greater Campinas is a large sprawl. The area around PUC and Unicamp are within sprawls.

And beyond the Campinas' suburbs, there are the Campinas' exurbs. We are talking outlier towns such as Indaiatuba, Sumare, Paulinia, Valinhos & Vinhedo (  both great on gated horizontal communities ), Holambra ( rich in Dutch Heritage ), Hortolandia.

Then there is downtown ( Botafogo ), and outlier areas ( Ponte Preta, after the pro soccer team stadia ).

I wandered recently around Campinas Downtown, but me being a urban renewal kind of person, I have some distate for suburban sprawls.  To each of its own.   

For me, Downtown, it has the potential to be  real cool place. But the City's topography, in a way, conspire against this. 

Also Campinas is a place rich in history, the turn of XIX Century Coffee Barons left a mark, and one being, this is a city of divides and stratification.  The right side of the tracks x the wrong side of the tracks sort of thing. 

All this to say.... Rent your first place of dwelling , temporarily,  and if you do not want to commit to car ownership, then rent your ride.  Because you will do a lot of exploring before you settle in Campinas.

@sprealestatebroker Muito Obrigado! The last paragraph sums it up for me and a great advice. I'll do just that to make things easier.

In a nutshell, Campinas, used to be, except for downtown and the Coffee Baron's areas, a huge track of farmland.  Even today, it is still being developed for residential and commercial purposes outwards.   

For most Campineiros, being close to shopping, the mall, and highways, is a big plus.

Highways in Campinas are Anhanguera, Bandeirantes, Dom Pedro I, Presidente Dutra, Fernão Dias. The Dom Pedro I highway acts as linkage to all of the above mentioned rodovias. 

And by the way, Public Transportation in Campinas means, City buses.  So, the garden variety Campineiro commutes and gets around by car.  No subway lines, no Trams, no elevated rail of any kind. 

@ifeanyiohaji22 First assume that no place is safe. You may find a great place to live, but if you take the proper precautions you should be okay, however do not assume "not in my neighborhood". Even though we live in a peaceful small village in the North East my wife is very persistent about locking the doors every night. Of course the fact that we each have very good guard dogs and  my next door neighbor has several Bulls in her yard and we have a low fence helps me believe that the robbers will skip our houses

Roddie in Retirement

    @ifeanyiohaji22 First assume that no place is safe. You may find a great place to live, but if you take the proper precautions you should be okay, however do not assume "not in my neighborhood". Even though we live in a peaceful small village in the North East my wife is very persistent about locking the doors every night. Of course the fact that we each have very good guard dogs and  my next door neighbor has several Bulls in her yard and we have a low fence helps me believe that the robbers will skip our houses
Roddie in Retirement-@roddiesho

Thanks for the feedback. You must be enjoying the village.

We live in Campinas in a safe area.  It is called Cidade Universitaria, Barao Geraldo.  Not sure what you consider cheap but there are two Universities here so there are a lots of different options and price ranges.  It looks like it is about 22 km from IFSP.  Most companies and universities have buses and they will bus their employees/students in from different cities so you should look into this as well.  Probably there are areas closer to IFSP as well but I don't know that area of Campinas.  There are many imobiliaria's here who will list rentals.  We found a lovely house but it wasn't't easy and it is a long process here, it took us months.  We stayed in a Airbnb first. 

    We live in Campinas in a safe area.  It is called Cidade Universitaria, Barao Geraldo.  Not sure what you consider cheap but there are two Universities here so there are a lots of different options and price ranges.  It looks like it is about 22 km from IFSP.  Most companies and universities have buses and they will bus their employees/students in from different cities so you should look into this as well.  Probably there are areas closer to IFSP as well but I don't know that area of Campinas.  There are many imobiliaria's here who will list rentals.  We found a lovely house but it wasn't't easy and it is a long process here, it took us months.  We stayed in a Airbnb first. 
   

    -@Droplover

Thanks so much for your comment. Knowing that it is even possible to be conveyed by school is good. I'll communicate with the school to find out. I'll definitely opt for an Airbnb first, settle and then gradually plan the next line of action.

By cheap, I mean rentals around R$1000/month.

@ifeanyiohaji22 Yes, if you are a student maybe the university can help you.  I don't think it is possible to rent anything for R$1000,  or did you mean $1000?  Look on Viva Real website or Zap Imoveis to get an idea of prices in the area.  Good luck!

11/21/23 @ifeanyiohaji21.  All of the good advice above assumes that you and your wife will be coming to Brazil with visas that permit you to work and/or study legally.

If the plan is to come on tourist visas and then try to work out residency once you're here, this is not a good plan, and the effort will probably be unsuccessful

    @ifeanyiohaji22 Yes, if you are a student maybe the university can help you.  I don't think it is possible to rent anything for R$1000,  or did you mean $1000?  Look on Viva Real website or Zap Imoveis to get an idea of prices in the area.  Good luck!
   

    -@Droplover

Yes I meant 1000 reais monthly or 1500 max while studying. I will look into those websites.

    11/21/23 @ifeanyiohaji21.  All of the good advice above assumes that you and your wife will be coming to Brazil with visas that permit you to work and/or study legally.
If the plan is to come on tourist visas and then try to work out residency once you're here, this is not a good plan, and the effort will probably be unsuccessful
   

    -@abthree

I am the the one coming with student visa to study in Brazil. But since I am married, she may come with visit visa. So I have to get an accommodation that allows both of us to live in case she joins me.

We'll do everything within the confines of the law, there's no gain in illegalities. All documentations are with the embassy.

Thanks a lot for the advice

@ifeanyiohaji22 Within that budget definitely look into student type housing.  Otherwise I think you may end up in an unsafe area.  Many students in our neighborhood share houses.  Maybe a bit less privacy but a safer option.

    @ifeanyiohaji22 Within that budget definitely look into student type housing.  Otherwise I think you may end up in an unsafe area.  Many students in our neighborhood share houses.  Maybe a bit less privacy but a safer option.
   

    -@Droplover

Sharing isn't a bad idea as long as I don't share bathroom. I also do not want to put so much into rentals.