Expert: Ken Rapoza Cruz - 3/24/2008

Question
I would like to take my family to live in Salvador for at least a year if not two.  My major concerns are, is there a Pan-American school for my children to go to in Salvador.  And What living expenses should I expect to pay?  Is rent expensive?

Answer
There is a Pan-American school in Salvador. I know nothing about the school, though. http://www.escolapanamericana.com/cd_ne.htm >It is credentialed by teh US State Dept. Dont know how much it costs, what grades your kids are in. Or what language the courses are taught in.

Salvador is the most expensive city in Bahia, if not the northeast. Also, if you are counting on your dollars, you should know that over the last three years, the Brazilian real has nearly gained 40% against the greenback. You should base your life on a BRL1.50 exchange rate. It is currently BRL1.74 and has been as low as BRL1.65. Dont count on it staying there. Best to be safe than sorry, so budget according to 1.50 with wiggle room for BRL1.40. Trust me.


As far as apts go, you can find them for BRL500 for 2 bedrooms to much more, depends on where you want to live. If you could budget for, say, $600 per month in rent, that would give you a good chance to find a halfway decent place in a safe neighborhood within a few minutes drive to school. Depends on your standard of living requirements and how comfie you are with the locals and hte local language.

When renting, you must make sure the following:

1. IS THIS a temporary rental, or is it for year round? YOu dont want the owner to kick you out so he can charge triple the rent to summer and carnaval vacationers. Get a contract for two years or at least a year. My contrat in Sao Paulo was for two and a half years. If you want to stay for two years, make it a year contractd. If you love the joint, make it two if you know yoll be there for two.

2. You want to know what rent is, and what the condo fee is and what rhe real estate taxes, called IPTU, are each month. They will usually say, oh, the retn is just BRL750 and forget to tell you that that lovely swimming pool, gym and doorman will cost you another BRL750 as well, with taxes an additional BRL100 per month. Get it exactly down before you sign anything.

To rent, you MIGHT need what is called a "fiador".  Someone who can vouoch for your income. That said, you should go through a noteworthy real estate agent in the city to help you with that legal stuff.  You will also need a CPF, which is the Brazilian equivalent of a socieal security number. You can get that through the Brazilian consulate when you apply for your visa. There are illegal ways to get an apt, too. Like renting from a friend for example. Or the friend of a freiend. But you better trust these guys good, or they can kick you out and you will have no legal resources to stay in that house as a foreigner in the country illegally.

If you have a CPF, you will have to pay taxes on all income you bring to the country. You will figure you will have to pay around 10% to 25% depending on how rich you are, and how much you declare.

Ken