Expert: Ken Rapoza Cruz - 1/28/2010

Question
Hello Sir, I am traveling to Brazil in February,2010 for Ph.D. studies, i will get US $ 1000 per month. Will this amount be sufficient to live a easy life (covering the residential and daily meals expenses) in Sao Paulo?

Answer
no way.
then again, tthat depends on where you are living in Sao Paulo. In the city or in the suburbs? Or in Sao Paulo state, in the interior. Also, are you living in student housing? If so, that will be below market price. Do you have room mates? What about food? Any food discounts at the school cafeteria. If yu have all of those things, then you can live frugally on $1,000 a month.

Figure that wiill be R$1,800 per month. So that means you will need to find an apartment near your university for around R$600 to R$700 max. Your  university should be able to arrange all of this for you, because as a foreigner without any tax ID here it will be extremely complicated for you to just out any old apartment on your own. You will need housing insurance, which only goes to people with taxable income and proof of income, of which you dont have, or you would need a co-signer, which in this case would be the university, or a friend. If you dont have any friends here willing to co-sign your rental agreement, then you will need to find a roommate who has an apartment in their name, and you pay them.

Ask you university for advice.