Pablo888
American looking for information about Brazil
Forum posts
880
About me
American
Lives in Florianópolis, Sant
Registration: 12 May 2023
My expat journey
Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
USA
Port Louis, Mauritius
London, England, England
Paris, Île-de-France, France
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Activity
Is it hard to become fluent in Brasilian Portuguese ? by hagece8690
FWIW I've passed the Celpe-Bras exam, and can watch videos, read, and communicate verbally with pretty much anyone here like a native, except people from Bahia KKKKKK, and when encountering regionalized slang. The reason I am asking this question, ...
9 Jul 2026@abthree, I am not an expert (yet) in that field but my very preliminary research in the field is that the brain is very plastic and makes new connections all the time. When someone learns a new language, there is much more than a ... Read More
Assimilation: when is enough enough? by alexanderstephenlange
TL; DR some thoughts on plugging in (or not) to the culture/society. All comments welcome! How important to you is assimilation into Brazilian society? Do you even find yourself contemplating it? Is it self-imposed or something unconscious you don't ...
8 July 2026I would love to have a chance to be assimilated - but will never be able to…. I look non-brazilian.Can an expat be assimilated? No, we lack the deep connections with the land, family, and friends that will qualify us to be at par ... Read More
Is it hard to become fluent in Brasilian Portuguese ? by hagece8690
FWIW I've passed the Celpe-Bras exam, and can watch videos, read, and communicate verbally with pretty much anyone here like a native, except people from Bahia KKKKKK, and when encountering regionalized slang. The reason I am asking this question, ...
8 July 2026Language fluency is a difficult to assess as it depends with who one is communicating. Languages change with time and even native speakers can be considered as foreigners - if the language has evolved significantly.I think that what is ... Read More
With fuel prices soaring, how are you getting around in Brazil? by Veedushi
Hello everyone!In many countries, transportation costs are becoming a real challenge for expats. Some are completely changing their habits: using public transport more often, carpooling, switching to scooters… or cycling.In Denmark, for ...
9 Jun 2026Going solar can be very advantageous in Brazil - at least for now. As I understand it, net metering is not yet deployed in the Nordeste - which means when excess solar is pushed back to the grid, the meter goes backwards at the same ... Read More
With fuel prices soaring, how are you getting around in Brazil? by Veedushi
Hello everyone!In many countries, transportation costs are becoming a real challenge for expats. Some are completely changing their habits: using public transport more often, carpooling, switching to scooters… or cycling.In Denmark, for ...
8 Jun 2026Not to digress here… I switched to electric 8 years ago and I never looked back. In the US, charging on a long trip is not a problem.How is the charging network in Brazil? Is there a reliable network that one can use to go on long ... Read More
Can beachfront properties are built on freehold land? by Pablo888
A Mauritius real estate purchase question that I could not find any clarification by searching the forum.Yesterday, I visited a beautiful beachfront property in Calodyne with a real estate agent. Loved almost everything about it except that it was ...
7 Jun 2026@bdt3010, thank you for pointing out Baie du Tombeau. One of my cousins owns a property there and she is building a bungalow. The only thing that bothers me in Baie du Tombeau is the sight of ships going in and out of the port.I am ... Read More
Building a house in Brazil (Armação dos Búzios, RJ) by fred2brazil
Fellow member, I've always found this forum helpful so far. Maybe some of you can help me along further in regards to some questions I have about building a house in Brazil. Maybe some of you have experience in building a house and have gone ...
7 June 2026@fred2brazil - thank you for sharing with us the planning, the ups and downs of building a very modern house in a fantastic part of Brazil…. I am sure that the lucky buyer of the home will be more than happy…. The successful ... Read More
Carnê-Leão by ibdegen
Sorry if this is covered in another topic, but I have not found anything. I am a retired American with a permanent residence visa. I have been paying taxes for the past two years in Brasil and am getting ready to file a return for 2025. For the ...
Yes it does. - @hagece869030 May 2026One more question - does the foreign country tax on world income? US is just like Brazil - i.e. taxes on world income. Tax payments to the IRS tends to be higher than in Brazil and I am counting on ... Read More
Having trouble with credit card and debit card working by NewBrazil
Just when yesterday and today to my local supermarket to buy groceries. When I tried to pay with my international credit card it didn’t work. Called my bank they said everything thing should work. In the same store tryed to use my ...
30 May 2026In Brazil, I found that PIX is more useful than credit cards. I have had several cases where the POS machine would not work - some legitimate and some by preference. It is becoming more and more common that vendors to charge a little ... Read More
Carnê-Leão by ibdegen
Sorry if this is covered in another topic, but I have not found anything. I am a retired American with a permanent residence visa. I have been paying taxes for the past two years in Brasil and am getting ready to file a return for 2025. For the ...
29 May 2026@hagece8690, does the country from which you get foreign income have a tax treaty with Brazil? I suspect that getting a refund from the RF is more straightforward if there were sharing of tax information between the foreign source and ... Read More
Feedback on Mail Forwarding Service / Virtual Address by Pablo888
I have a USPS mailbox where I send stuff related to my small business but USPS has increased prices for a small postal box from $120 about 5 years ago to $220 this year.In addition to the uncontrollable price increases because USPS is bleeding ...
29 Apr 2026I am paying $179.40 per year for the no-frills package and I started in 2025.I chose the cheapest package because I receive practically nothing - 1 letter in 2 years for example. But you have to be careful if you expect to receive many ... Read More
How many here in Brazil had cosmetic or dental medical treatment by NewBrazil
I was just wondering if you had a medical procedure. What was it and how much did it cost. Example having MOHS surgery for a facial nodule that been show to be cancer. Mohs is the surgery that removed this result is 99% cure. In the USA without ...
29 Apr 2026Dental procedures are cheaper in Brazil than in the US. The materials used are different - for example porcelain vs resin based crowns. In the US, the costs are mainly driven by insurance companies and greed.Re: success / ... Read More
Remember: When Changing Phones...
April 4, 2026I just upgraded my phone (twice) recently. The upgrade path was easy but one thing I did not do before wiping out my old phone is:Make sure to login in both the old and new phone and transfer the account from the old to the new by QR ... Read More
The impact of artificial intelligence on the Brazil job market by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Artificial intelligence is driving major changes to the job market in Brazil : task automation, evolving job roles and rise of new skills. For expats and soon-to-be expats, this transformation may raise some key questions on ...
2 March 2026Cheryl, discussing AI on a forum that has a large audience is bound to be controversial. Hence, I am only expressing my views with no desire to sway anyone.I work in the AI field. I have a full time job in the US but I can ... Read More
VPN's ANYONE by Roddie Simmons
Bom Dia! i have had a really rough week. hint my YouTube computer blew up. My quick question is about anyone who has a VPN or would recomend a brand. I currently have EXPRESS VPN and it is usually the best, but with my computer situation, I have to ...
21 Feb 2026I heard a lot of good things about NordVPN. The cursory google search on "Best VPN" gives a good list. The question that you need to ask yourself is "what do you use it for"?For example: If you want to access Brazil content from ... Read More