Expert: Sandra - 7/15/2009

Question
Me and my husband along with a 2-year-old kid will be moving to Brazil for a few years on an office assignment to Limeira or Camacari.  We are strict vegetarians.  Any information regarding Indian grocery stores and restaurants will be highly appreciated.  Is it easy to get a house for rent and how much does it cost? What would be the approximate expenditure for a month (minimum)?  I need info regarding transportation also.  I will be waiting for your reply.  Thanks

Answer
Me and my husband along with a 2-year-old kid will be moving to Brazil for a few years on an office assignment to Limeira or Camacari. We are strict vegetarians. Any information regarding Indian grocery stores and restaurants will be highly appreciated.

Is it easy to get a house for rent and how much does it cost? What would be the approximate expenditure for a month (minimum)?

I need info regarding transportation also.

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Lumeira, S. P. and Camaçari, Bahia are two places with very different conditions.

Lumeira is 154 km from Sao Paulo, so you would have access to some of the services (shops) aimed toward a slightly more diverse population in that large business city. It is also a population that has more disposable income and some interest in discovering cuisine from other regions of the world. At the moment, because of a soap opera (novela) set partly in India, there is a great deal of interest in that country all over Brazil. But outside of S.P. and Rio, restaurants serving “foreign food” (outside of maybe Chinese) are harder to find. You can Google to find a list of Indian restaurants in Sao Paulo.

You might also think about joining the Asian Ladies´Club of Sao Paulo, if you choose Lumeira.

One service you might find important is:
Bombay Food Service http://www.bombayfoodservice.com.br
They are the only supplier of Indian food products in Brazil that I have discovered. I believe they ship to other parts of the country.

Camaçari is on the northern fringes of Salvador, Bahia. Salvador is known for its African culture, music, beaches and historic Colonial center Pelourinho. The city attracts a lot of tourist from all over the world, and from Brazil itself, who come to visit the sights and hear the music. But I have seen very little diversity in the resident population there, although the factories in Camacari do have some foreign employees. However, I don’t have much to do with the ladies groups of wives of foreign businessmen. I don’t believe I know of any Indian restaurants there, and certainly no food shops.

Here is a thread, from an interesting forum for expats in Brazil, about vegetarianism in S.P.
http://www.gringoes.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1884&KW=indian+food+sao+paulo
I think you might find that the best variety of fresh vegetables is to be found at the open air “feiras”, rather than the supermarkets, especially in Salvador.  Sao Paulo does seem to have more variety in the supermarkets, and has stores like Sam’s Club/BJ’s I believe.  

As to housing, I believe it is most common for the company posting the employee to arrange for this and pick up all the associated costs as part of the package. I suspect housing in a location closer to S.P. might be higher than in Salvador, but there are a lot of ‘quality’ factors to consider in what would make you feel comfortable. (your standard and style of living, number of bedrooms, quality of construction, internet access, facilities like children’s playground, pool, party room in an apartment complex) Most long term rentals require a guarantor, which it appears would have to be the employer in your case. Most apartment rentals also have a monthly condominium fee as well as rent. Long-term rentals would probably not include appliances, which are quite expensive in Brazil.

I believe that both these locations would require a car for convenient daily transportation. Transportation within the cities S.P. and Salvador is by frequent local buses that are quite inexpensive and cover the city very well.

I wish you well in your new life in Brazil.