Moving to Puerto Rico from Brazil

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Brazil to Puerto Rico — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Brazil to Puerto Rico, you would find that Puerto Rico is 2.0 times more expensive than Brazil overall. A R$370,000 salary in Brazil would need to be roughly $150,000 in Puerto Rico to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English and Spanish.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Brazil to Puerto Rico.

What does your salary buy?

R$370,000 → $150,000

To maintain the same standard of living in Puerto Rico

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 79.2% more

Groceries

pay 2.3 times more

Transportation

pay 9.4% more

Housing

pay 3.2 times more

Childcare

pay 70.3% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 43.9% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 BRL = 0.2005 USD (October 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Brazil to Puerto Rico, and how the trend has changed.

Living there in 2020
40 ↓ 58% vs 2015

people born in Brazil live in Puerto Rico · UN DESA

Who's moving to Puerto Rico?

Top countries of origin for Puerto Rico's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Brazil and Puerto Rico stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

BR
19.3
PR
14.6
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

BR
15.7
PR
12.5

Puerto Rico performs significantly better than Brazil across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Adult obesity rate World Health Organization, 2024

share of adults with obesity

BR
30.1%
PR
42.4%
Suicide rate World Bank, 2021

per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support

BR
7.6
PR
5.4

Brazil generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Puerto Rico leads in suicide rate.

What about the environment?

CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

BR
2.3t
PR
4.8t

Brazil performs better than Puerto Rico across all environment metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

BR
24.1
PR
28.0
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

BR
1.5%
PR
19.5%

Puerto Rico generally does better on infrastructure, though Brazil leads in water stress level.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

BR
6.0%
PR
6.0%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

BR
$10,713
PR
$40,620

Brazil generally does better on employment & economy, though Puerto Rico leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

BR
76.0 yrs
PR
81.9 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

BR
12.3
PR
6.0

Brazil generally does better on family life, though Puerto Rico leads in life expectancy.

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021–2022), Secretaria da Receita Federal do Brasil (2016), Puerto Rican Department of Treasury (2016). How we calculate this

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Brazil and Puerto Rico. To live, work, or study long-term in Puerto Rico, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Puerto Rico's immigration authority.

Brazil passport

Brazil passport holder visiting Puerto Rico

Visa Required
Brazil passport holders need a visa to enter Puerto Rico.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Puerto Rico than Brazil?

Day-to-day costs in Puerto Rico run about 102% higher than Brazil on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Puerto Rico?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a R$370,000 comparable salary, that's around $37,500 in Puerto Rico for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Puerto Rico?

With 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Puerto Rico can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Brazil and Puerto Rico.

Is Puerto Rico safe for expats?

Puerto Rico performs significantly better than Brazil across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Puerto Rico is 14.6 per 100,000 people, compared to 19.3 in Brazil.

How is healthcare in Puerto Rico compared to Brazil?

Brazil generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Puerto Rico leads in suicide rate.

What language do they speak in Puerto Rico?

The official languages in Puerto Rico are English and Spanish. In Brazil, the official language is Portuguese.

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At a Glance

BR PR
Population 212,812,405 3,184,835
Currency Brazilian Real (R$) United States Dollar ($)
Languages Portuguese English, Spanish
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +55 +1
Time zones 4 1
Emergency number 190 —