Moving to United Arab Emirates from Brazil

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Brazil to United Arab Emirates — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Brazil to United Arab Emirates, you would find that United Arab Emirates is 82.8% more expensive than Brazil overall. A R$410,000 salary in Brazil would need to be roughly AED500,000 in United Arab Emirates to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Dubai averages 91°F vs 77°F in Sao Paulo, making it significantly warmer.

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Is United Arab Emirates cheaper than Brazil?

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 10.5% more

Groceries

pay 14.0% more

Transportation

pay 1.1% less

Housing

pay 3.8 times more

Childcare

pay 22.9% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 2.7 times more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 BRL = 0.6672 AED (November 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.

What salary do you need in United Arab Emirates?

What does your salary buy?

R$410,000 → AED500,000

To maintain the same standard of living in United Arab Emirates

Calculate with your salary →

Cost of living by city

Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).

On average, cities in United Arab Emirates cost about 45% more than cities in Brazil.

Compare cities head-to-head

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Key Indicator Comparison

How Brazil and United Arab Emirates 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
AE
0.7
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

BR
15.7
AE
5.9

United Arab Emirates performs significantly better than Brazil across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

BR
$2,070
AE
$3,727
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2023

affects wait times and access to care

BR
23.6
AE
29.9

United Arab Emirates generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Brazil leads in healthcare spending per person.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

BR
23.0
AE
70.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

BR
2.3t
AE
18.3t

Brazil performs better than United Arab Emirates 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
AE
40.8
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

BR
1.5%
AE
1509.9%

United Arab Emirates 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%
AE
2.2%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

BR
$10,713
AE
$50,274

United Arab Emirates generally does better on employment & economy, though Brazil leads in poverty rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

BR
76.0 yrs
AE
83.1 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

BR
12.3
AE
3.8

United Arab Emirates generally does better on family life, though Brazil leads in education spending.

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2003–2016), Secretaria da Receita Federal do Brasil (2016), Ministry of Finance (2016). How we calculate this

Weather in United Arab Emirates vs Brazil

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Sao Paulo Rain: 57.3 in/yr (1455 mm)
77° / 60°F

Avg. annual high / low

Dubai Rain: 3.7 in/yr (94 mm)
91° / 70°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Sao Paulo Dubai
Jan–Mar 81°/66°F (28°/19°C) 78°/59°F (26°/15°C)
Apr–Jun 74°/57°F (23°/14°C) 97°/74°F (36°/23°C)
Jul–Sep 73°/55°F (23°/13°C) 104°/83°F (40°/28°C)
Oct–Dec 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) 87°/66°F (31°/19°C)
View all months
Month Sao Paulo Dubai
Jan 81°/66°F (27.3°/18.7°C) 75°/57°F (24.0°/13.7°C)
Feb 82°/66°F (28.0°/18.8°C) 76°/58°F (24.6°/14.5°C)
Mar 81°/65°F (27.2°/18.2°C) 82°/63°F (27.9°/17.0°C)
Apr 77°/61°F (25.1°/16.3°C) 90°/68°F (32.4°/20.1°C)
May 73°/57°F (23.0°/13.8°C) 98°/74°F (36.8°/23.5°C)
Jun 71°/54°F (21.8°/12.4°C) 102°/79°F (38.8°/26.1°C)
Jul 71°/53°F (21.8°/11.7°C) 105°/84°F (40.6°/28.9°C)
Aug 74°/55°F (23.3°/12.8°C) 105°/85°F (40.4°/29.3°C)
Sep 75°/57°F (23.9°/13.9°C) 102°/79°F (38.7°/26.3°C)
Oct 77°/60°F (24.8°/15.3°C) 95°/73°F (35.1°/22.7°C)
Nov 79°/62°F (25.9°/16.6°C) 87°/65°F (30.5°/18.3°C)
Dec 79°/64°F (26.3°/17.7°C) 79°/60°F (26.2°/15.4°C)

Data: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia

Can you move from Brazil to United Arab Emirates?

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

Brazil passport

Brazil passport holder visiting United Arab Emirates

Visa Free
Brazil passport holders can enter United Arab Emirates without a visa.
United Arab Emirates passport

United Arab Emirates passport holder visiting Brazil

Visa Free
United Arab Emirates passport holders can enter Brazil without a visa.

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 United Arab Emirates than Brazil?

Day-to-day costs in United Arab Emirates run about 83% higher than Brazil on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to United Arab Emirates?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a R$410,000 comparable salary, that's around AED125,000 in United Arab Emirates for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from United Arab Emirates?

With 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, United Arab Emirates 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 United Arab Emirates.

Is United Arab Emirates safe for expats?

United Arab Emirates performs significantly better than Brazil across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in United Arab Emirates is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 19.3 in Brazil.

How is healthcare in United Arab Emirates compared to Brazil?

United Arab Emirates generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Brazil leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people in United Arab Emirates, compared to 23.6 in Brazil. United Arab Emirates scores 82 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Brazil: 80).

What's the weather like in United Arab Emirates compared to Brazil?

The average high temperature in Dubai is 91°F, compared to 77°F in Sao Paulo. Dubai receives around 3.7 in of rainfall per year, while Sao Paulo gets 57.3 in.

What language do they speak in United Arab Emirates?

The official language in United Arab Emirates is Arabic. In Brazil, the official language is Portuguese.

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At a Glance

BR AE
Population 212,812,405 11,513,149
Currency Brazilian Real (R$) United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED)
Languages Portuguese Arabic
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +55 +971
Time zones 4 1
Emergency number 190 999