Transcription
21 reasons why Brazil is better than the US and Europe. Obviously, this is just my perspective as a Swede living here in Brazil, and I know that for many other people in different situations, um, life here in Brazil can be very different. Uh, and also there are problems here in Brazil. I'm not saying Brazil is perfect, and I've done other videos talking about the challenges of living here in Brazil. But in this video here, I'm just going to talk about the positives, okay?
So, the first reason why Brazil is better than the US and Europe is the climate. Um, so here in Brazil, if you want to experience a hot climate the whole year round, then you can live in the North and the Northeast of Brazil. There, the temperature hardly goes below 20°C, and you can walk around in shorts and t-shirts the whole year. If you want to, but if you do want to experience colder winters, then you can live in the South of Brazil. And here, in wintertime, it can go down to 5°, maybe 0°, depending on where you live. So, if you live in the countryside, in more mountainous areas, it can get down to 1 or 2° sometimes. But in the summertime, it can get very hot, so up to 40°C, just like in in the North of Brazil. And I live in the South of Brazil, and for me, this climate is so much better. Um, and the principal reason is the fact that there's no snow in winter. I mean, I've seen a bit of snow one time here in the South, in a town called Gramado, but it was just a tiny bit of snow, and it didn't even settle. And for me, it's just so much better. You don't need to shovel snow, you don't need to de-ice the car, you don't need to put on winter tires. So life here is so much easier in that respect.
And then another positive is the fact that it rains a lot, especially here in the South of Brazil. So you don't have problems with drought, and there aren't any restrictions on how much water households are allowed to use. So that's another problem I don't need to deal with. And compared to, you know, the West Coast in the US, uh, in Southern Europe, we can have some serious water issues. But even though it rains a lot, you still have lots of sunny days. You don't have these gray, overcast days that you have in many countries in Europe, and also a bit in the States. And, and here in large parts of Brazil, it's that's not the case. Okay.
So, number two is beaches. So Brazil has thousands of really nice beaches. So in the South, Brazil, you've got the state of Santa Catarina, which has the beaches of Florianópolis, Bombinhas. Then you've got São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with lots of nice beaches there. So you've got Ilha Bela, Ilha Grande, Paraty. And then in the Northeast and the North of Brazil as well, thousands of really nice beaches. You've got Porto de Galinhas, Maragogi, Maceió, Pipa, Fortaleza, and many other nice beaches. Now, Europe does have nice beaches, especially in the South, um, and you've got the West Coast in the US and Hawaii. But you just can't compare it to Brazil in terms of just a sheer number of really nice beaches.
Okay, number three is people and culture. So a lot of Europeans, especially Scandinavians, Germans, I would say the Brits as well, the population can be a bit cold, a bit more serious, maybe not that friendly compared to Brazilians. Here, they're a lot more happier, just relaxed, friendlier, easier to make friends. A lot of times, you meet Brazilians and talking about they invite you to have a barbecue at their house. Also, if you just walk around the street and you you need some help with something, it's very easy to get help from people. So yeah, in general, it's just a different vibe here.
And then comparing it to the States, my impression was that in general, people are very stressed in terms of work and other commitments. And then comparing that to Brazil, here it's just a bit more relaxed. Uh, the pace of life is a bit slower. Now, I'm generalizing a bit here, obviously. Um, if you go to the, you know, the city center of São Paulo, the business districts there, yeah, people there are pretty stressed, and life is pretty fast-paced. But in general, I just feel it's a bit more relaxed here in Brazil.
Okay, and reason number four is that Brazilians in general are very positive towards foreigners. So when I moved to Brazil, I felt that people were very welcoming and and friendly. There wasn't this negative attitude that, oh, you moved to our country, what are you doing here? And that negative attitude towards foreigners, you can have in quite a few other countries. Obviously, this is is a very sensitive issue at the moment. I'm not going to go into any more details, but just to say that in general, tourists and foreigners have come here to to live, um, the Brazilian population are very welcoming.
Okay, number five is dating. So I found dating here in Brazil, um, a lot easier than dating in the in the US and in Europe. So I found Brazilian women very relaxed, very friendly, very easy to start a conversation with them. And also, just felt that they're a bit less focused on, you know, what kind of job you have and how much money you earn. And also, it doesn't hurt that I found Brazilian women very pretty as well. And in the end, I I found the Brazilian wife.
Okay, number six is cost of living. So the cost of living here in Brazil, in general, is lower than in the States and in many parts of Europe. Obviously, it depends on where you're living. If you're going to live in the big cities, then it's more expensive than if you live in the smaller cities and towns. But in general, things like rent, uh, certain groceries, so kind of local produce, the fruit, vegetables, and meat, and also eating out at restaurants. So I did a video showing that we spend about $25, so for me, my wife, and my daughter when we go out and eat at a restaurant here in Brazil. Yeah, there's no way I could spend so little eating out in, uh, in Sweden or in, in the States. And I'm not talking about fast food here, I'm talking about a nice restaurant. And also other things like cleaners, tradesmen, these can be significantly cheaper here in Brazil.
But there are other things that can be more expensive. So especially things that are imported, so electronics, clothes, and, and things like that, they can be more expensive here in Brazil. But if you are traveling overseas to see family and friends, then you can take the opportunity to buy those overseas. Obviously, there's a limit on how much you can bring into the country, um, before you have to start paying tax. But if you're able to, you can have the kind of the best of both worlds. So you've got a lower cost of living in Brazil, but then when you to buy certain things like electronics and so on, then you you buy overseas.
Okay, number seven is Brazil doesn't have a tipping culture. This is so good because when I lived in in the US, I was going a bit crazy with this tipping. You have to tip everyone, and for me, it just got super annoying, and it just didn't make sense sometimes why you were tipping people. But yeah, here in Brazil, you don't need to tip anyone, and and just makes life a lot easier.
Okay, number eight is the cost of buying property. So property here in Brazil can be much cheaper than Europe and many parts of the US. Again, if you want to live in the the big cities, São Paulo, Rio, there, it's going to be expensive, not as expensive as living in New York or London, but pretty expensive. But then the smaller cities and towns, especially in the countryside, there you can buy houses for, you know, $100,000. So I mean, our house that we bought, we paid $90,000 for it a few years ago. I would say it costs about 100,000 now. And if you want an apartment, you can buy a a nice two-bedroom apartment in a in a small town for $100,000 very easily. So that's another advantage here that you can buy a cheap property here and maybe not even need a mortgage. You don't have any mortgage payments. And no, I'm not talking about buying a home in some small town, you know, hours away from a larger city. Now, I'm talking about, you know, a smaller town, 30 minutes, 1 hour drive from a large city. So you're not isolated, you're still close to some big cities.
Okay, number nine is you can spend a lot less on holidays here in Brazil. And and that's because Brazil has so many nice beaches. So obviously, it depends on where you live, but if you live in the countryside, you know, a couple of hours away from the beach, um, then you just jump in the car and you can drive to the beach and enjoy yourself there. U maybe rent a cheap Airbnb or something. And then there's obviously lots of other things as well, lots of mountains and forests and waterfalls as well, which you can do excursions to. So you you can do lots of trips by car, which is very different to to me when I lived in Sweden, where we had to spend lots of money to fly for hours to get to a nice beach and escape the the rain and the snow in Sweden. So yeah, here in Brazil, um, for a lot of people, it's a lot cheaper, easier to go on a holiday to the beach and enjoy yourself.
Okay, so number 10 is food. So I mentioned earlier that a lot of the local produce, of the meat, the fruits and vegetables, um, they can be cheaper here in Brazil compared to Europe and the States. Also, the the quality as well is very good. Um, again, especially the the local produce. So I would say the the best beef that I've tasted, um, is definitely here in Brazil. Brazilians, especially here in the South, they do some really good barbecues. I mean, I'd say it's the the the best barbecues that I've experienced. And then the food in the restaurants as well, in general, can be very good. Um, there's a bit less focus on on fast food here in Brazil. I mean, they have all the the chains, you know, McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, and Subway. But in general, here, uh, the culture is that, uh, you want to have a healthy meal in a restaurant rather than constantly be eating fast food. And then Brazil has one of my favorite things, which is açaí, which are these berries that they blend, and then they mix in other fruits and milk and yogurt and granola and stuff, and it's it's super good. So if you ever come to Brazil, you need to try the açaí.
Okay, number 11 is alcohol. So I think Brazil's attitude to alcohol in general is pretty good. Um, you can buy alcohol in the supermarkets, in the petrol or gas stations, and small convenience stores, and these are open till late and at the weekend. So it's easy to buy, uh, compared to like Sweden, where the government controls it, and the hours that you can buy alcohol are restricted. And also in some other countries as well, where, you know, supermarkets close early, so you can't buy alcohol in the evenings. So if you just want to buy a beer or something, it's pretty easy here in Brazil. And then also in terms of Brazilians just being, uh, fairly responsible as well. So you don't have this culture of people drinking until they're completely drunk, and they're, you know, vomiting on the streets and picking fights and collapsing on on the street. It's a lot less of that compared to what I've seen in in many other countries.
Okay, number 12 is safety. Now, a lot of you probably thinking, what do you mean by Brazil is better than the States and and Europe in terms of safety? Um, yeah, I mean, yeah, Brazil has a fair bit of crime, and the homicide rate is pretty high. But if you live in the smaller towns and cities there, they can be very safe, just as safe as a small town in, you know, Sweden, the UK, and the States. And I would also say that you don't really have these events where, you know, someone goes in and shoots lots of people that you unfortunately have in some other countries. This is very rare in Brazil. So yeah, I don't have that fear of, uh, something horrible could happen if I go to the shopping mall, or something horrible can happen in in the schools, because yeah, it's pretty rare here in Brazil. But saying that, if you do go to the bigger cities in Brazil, uh, some of them can be pretty dangerous, so you do need to be careful.
Okay, number 13, which is kind of connected to safety, is the fact that Brazil and kind of South America is kind of isolated a bit from the rest of the world. So if there were to be any big, you know, international incident, I don't know, some wars or something, um, the chances are it's not going to happen in South America, it's going to happen in other regions in the world. So I just feel like Brazil's a bit more isolated, a bit more protective if something like that were to happen. Mostly, if there's a massive event involving, you know, nuclear weapons and stuff, then yeah, it doesn't really matter where you live. But for other things, I just feel living here in the in Brazil is a bit safer.
Okay, number 14, again, kind of with this theme of safety, um, Brazil in general doesn't have many natural disasters. So I'm talking about, you know, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and all of this is super rare here in Brazil. I mean, you do have storms, um, which can do a bit of damage, but it's not at the same scale they have in parts of the US, for example. The only kind of natural disaster that's affected Brazil recently is kind of flooding. So last year, in Rio Grande do Sul, um, there was a big flood which affected, I think, up to 2 million people. Um, so you do have that, and that seems to be increasing a bit. But in terms of the the other natural disasters, um, Brazil is kind of protected from them.
Okay, number 15 is healthcare. So healthcare in general here in Brazil is pretty good. So you've got a public healthcare service which is free, um, and this can be reasonable, um, especially in the countryside, in the smaller towns, um, but it can be a bit complicated in the bigger cities. Um, but for example, in a small town that I live in, it's pretty good. So so we can go to a drop-in clinic and see a doctor in like half an hour, and the service is pretty good compared to like the UK and Sweden, where you sometimes I have to wait for weeks to see a doctor, or we have to go to the hospital, have to wait for hours. And also, there's a big private healthcare industry as well in Brazil, which is which is also very good, and it's not too expensive. So we pay about $200 per month for the three of us to have private healthcare, and we can do surgeries, checkups, U, and all the cost included. And yeah, we haven't experienced any problems of, you know, surgeries or medicines being denied, which I know in the States, um, there's been a lot of complaints about.
Okay, number 16 is dental care. So dental care in Brazil, similar to the medical care, um, is very good. Brazilians are very concerned about their teeth, need to have very beautiful teeth. So Brazilians go to the dentist a lot. The industry here is very big and quite advanced. And yeah, I mean, I can't complain about it at all. In general, it's cheaper than in the States and in Europe. I mean, I I did an implant, uh, recently, and I paid, yeah, less than $300 for that implant, and I would have paid a lot more in Sweden and in other countries.
Okay, number 16 is pharmacies. Brazil has lots and lots of pharmacies. Every little town has two or three pharmacies, and they are open till late or 24 hours. Um, so I mean, that's very good compared to many countries in Europe where, you know, they close early and not open at weekends. So it's a lot easier to go to pharmacies here in Brazil. So I mean, I guess it's a bit similar to to the States in that respect. But then also in terms of the over-the-counter medicines that you can buy without needing a prescription from a doctor, um, that's pretty high here in Brazil. So you can kind of self-medicate, which I know can be good and bad. If you are sensible, it just makes your life so much easier. You can kind of just go there and get what you want, so you don't have to book an appointment with a GP and wait for days for that or weeks for that appointment in order to get some simple medicine. Feel like the the whole pharmacy service here in Brazil is very good.
Okay, number 18 is education. So you've got lots of public schools which are free, and again, kind of in the smaller towns in the countryside, these schools can be quite good. And in the bigger cities, there it can be a bit more hit and miss. But I mean, the town that I live in, uh, majority people just send their kids to the public schools, and they're very happy with them. But then if you do want, uh, to send your kids to a private school, you've got lots of those as well, and they're not too expensive. So we pay $230 per month to send our daughter to a private school, and it's a very good school. Now, yeah, if you go to the big cities, there you can find private schools which cost thousands of dollars. But then there are private schools like my daughter goes to, which, you know, it's two, $2, $300 per month. And then also universities as well. So you have, um, lots of public universities which are free, so you don't have to pay anything a fortune you have to pay in the US and also many countries now in Europe as well. And a lot of time, these public universities are better than the private universities here in Brazil. Um, now you need to do a test which called a vestibular in order to get into them, but then it's free, and you don't have to pay anything.
Okay, number 19 is visas. Brazil has lots of visas if you want to live here in Brazil. So you've got, you know, student visa, digital nomad visa, marriage visas, retirement visas, investment visas. In terms of this investment visa, it's, you know, relatively easy to get it, um, for a foreigner, because you just need to buy a house, uh, for 700,000 reais in the North, or a million reais in the rest of Brazil. And a million reais is $170,000. So if you want to live in the South of Brazil, which I do, you can buy a house for $170,000, and then you would get a permanent visa here in Brazil. And there is actually another option of buying a business for 500,000 reais, which is $85,000. So again, that would give you a permanent visa. But I would say buying a business is a bit more complicated than just buying a home for yourself. And there aren't really any restrictions in terms of buying property either. So a foreigner can buy a property. Um, there are few restrictions if you want to buy lots of farmland, but yeah, buying a house, a foreigner can buy a house, no problems.
And number 20 is nature. I kind of touched on it before, but Brazil has lots of beautiful nature, obviously the beaches, but then forests, lakes, waterfalls. So you've got lots of areas which are untouched and, um, are very, very beautiful. So here in the South of Brazil, apart from the beaches, you've got the canyons, which are these mountain areas with canyons, which are super beautiful, and you can book some really nice Airbnbs there and just, you know, spend the weekend there, and it's really, really nice. And the area is full of waterfalls as well. So I mean, there's just so much nature in in Brazil, which you have in the States and many parts of Europe as well, but the nature in Brazil is at such a a big scale, um, that it's super impressive.
Okay, and then number 21, the final reason is emotional well-being. The impact of all the reasons that I mentioned earlier. So the fact that the climate's a lot better here in my opinion, because it's hot and you don't really have much snow and it doesn't get that cold, um, people are friendlier and more relaxed, um, the fact that you can, you know, just hop in a car and go to the beach and enjoy yourself there, and the cost of living is lower, so you have less financial pressure as well. And the result of all of this is that I just feel a lot better living here in Brazil. So when I was living in Europe, for example, I was suffering from depression because of the climate and other reasons as well. And when I moved to Brazil, that depression disappeared, and I just feel a lot better here, a lot more energy, a lot more positive. So for me, moving to Brazil was definitely the right thing.
Okay, so those are my 21 reasons why Brazil is better than the US and Europe. Obviously, I'm generalizing a lot here, and like I said, um, Brazil does have its problems as well, which I've done other videos about. So yeah, don't think Brazil is perfect. Um, so I hope you like this video. Please leave a like, subscribe if you've got any questions or anything, leave in the commentary below. So thanks for watching until next time.