Breaking into the top five for the first time this year, Brazil scored highly for happiness, ease of settling in, local friendliness and culture, with many expats saying it's the warmth of the people that makes them feel at home.

"You could meet someone for the first time on a Thursday and be at their home having churrasco (barbecued meat) by Saturday," said Clint Manning, who moved from Barbados to São Paulo to build his business. "Being from Barbados and having a similar lifestyle there, it felt very much like home, but on a significantly larger scale."

He notes that English isn't widely spoken here, which he sees as a plus. "For someone truly interested in learning the language, it [is] a fantastic experience as you [are] forced to communicate in Portuguese out of necessity," he said. "I became fluent significantly faster than I would've if I had been trying to learn Danish or German in Denmark or Germany."

To best experience São Paulo, he recommends visiting the bars and padarias in Vila Madalena and Bela Vista, eating sushi in Liberdade (the city's Japanese neighborhood) and exercising in Ibirapuera Park, one of Latin America's largest urban parks.

But more than any scenery or site, expats say it is the locals who create the greatest sense of belonging. "They were genuinely interested and curious in getting to know me and made me feel included from the beginning," said Chris Kohl, who lived in São Paulo for 12 years. "Instead of making me feel like an outsider, Brazilians made me feel like I belonged."

Hi. I am from Afghanistan and wants to go to Brazil. Because of my beliefs I don't feel safe here. And I also want to get education so that in future I can help my little nieces and all the girls in my family to have freedom and go to school.

Can i get a visa if i get an invitation letter from Brazil ?

Why is the legendary saci Pererê sometimes represented as a human bird hybrid instead of a one legged human with a Hat?

A question mostly for Brazilians, but non-Brazilians can answer if they want, just identify yourself. Also, please state in which part of the country you live.

How much do you think you would need a month to retire? Obviously, spending habits differ greatly, so I want you to define that for yourself.

Edited to add: Please add whether this includes rent/house payments or whether you assume you own your own place.

How long has it taken to you to learn Brazilian Portuguese 🇧🇷 ?

Any tips will be of great use. I have recently started off it :) Obrigado 🙏

I tried Hellotalk and other live chatrooms but those don’t give much opportunities to speak and it’s hard to keep up with the conversations so I’m looking for a space that pushes individuals to speak.

Hey guys, so my friends and I are US citizens and are trying to buy sambadrome tickets. However when we get to the payment method and try to fill out our billing information we keep being met with errors. I’m assuming it’s because the billing details are in Brazilian format ( telephone, zip code, address line 1, number, complement, neighborhood, city, state, country). Does anyone know how to properly fill this out? I’ve already tried putting the street number in place of “number” but it still does not work. Thanks!

I am going to Maceio in 20 days and i will be staying for 10 days.

On my vaccination card i have tetanus, polio, hepatitis b and mmr.

Do i need some other vaccinations for visiting that part of brazil?

I am not getting accurate ranking or data online, hence i want to ask Brazilians. I am a foreigner and LOVES the Brazilian culture, I will be going for a PhD in Engineering in Brazil next year. which of these schools is ranked higher locally, and in terms of more prestige in the job market. Standard of living in the cities, and what’s it like getting work in industry after graduating if you don’t want to go the professor path.

Article Summary / Key Takeaways:

• Brazilian Electoral Court Justice Dias Toffoli issued a ruling restricting online campaign advertising for presidential candidate Renan Santos (Mission party) due to late disclosure of 16 social media accounts.

• The decision temporarily bars Santos from attending broadcast and digital debates, freezes R$ 3.3 million in public campaign funds, and orders platforms to suspend irregular accounts, while his overall candidacy remains valid.

• The candidate and his party were given 24 hours to respond or risk losing the candidacy registration entirely.

• Other TSE judges internally criticized the decision, arguing the measures are disproportionate for a registration proceeding and should be submitted to the full plenary court.

Source: Valor International (Hard Paywall)

I keep hearing from Americans who have traveled to Brazil say that Brazilian food leaves a lot to be desired. They also mention that many international cuisine are adapted to suit the Brazilian palate, sometimes to the point where it bears little resemblance to the original cuisine. What international cuisines are generally the most authentic in Brazil?