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Founded in 1554, São Paulo evolved from a Jesuit mission into Brazil's economic heart, with generations of Italian, Japanese, and Lebanese immigrants contributing to a city that far exceeds its limiting corporate reputation.
If you enjoy everything that comes with mega-cities, 100% add São Paulo to your South American itinerary. The city offers great value by international standards when travelling from abroad and serves as an ideal gateway to Brazil. Don't be deterred by any security concerns.
Prior to visiting São Paulo, I'd heard exclusively negative comments about the city.
The common perception was that there was little to see aside from a sea of concrete, and I got the impression you'd risk having a gun pulled on you the moment you stepped outside your apartment.
A week was just about long enough to prove this was entirely (and laughably) incorrect.
Compared to Rio, São Paulo offers a far better supply of well-located and high-spec Airbnbs, thanks to more modern building stock and being less vulnerable to the pressures of seasonal tourism. For around £800 per month, you should be able to find a quality modern apartment, with studio options being far more abundant than one-bedroom units.
I stayed in the Smart Vila condo complex, which was an excellent base and one I would happily return to. It featured one of the best on-site gyms I'd seen in South America, along with an on-site mini-mart, swimming pool and plentiful laundry machines - all just a three-minute walk from the Vila Madalena metro station.
In both Airbnbs I stayed in during my time in Brazil, there were notably strict security measures for building access. In both Rio and São Paulo, you needed to identify yourself at the main security entrance before being allowed into the building. While this security is welcome, it does create a degree of friction when coming and going.
Along with Tokyo and London, São Paulo stands as one of the best cities globally if you have WeWork access. There are 15 locations spread across the city in desirable neighbourhoods and the quality was the highest I found in South America. Most featured outdoor terraces, were spacious and had dedicated areas for All Access members.
Aside from WeWork, there are numerous independent operators dotted across the city open 24/7 such as Eureka and Central9 meaning whichever neighbourhood you opt for, you should have a decent selection at your disposal.
Prices for day-to-day goods in São Paulo were roughly comparable to Rio, especially for casual restaurant meals and coffees. One noticeable difference was that São Paulo's higher-end neighbourhoods featured a greater concentration of sophisticated options. Compared to Leblon (regarded as Rio's most expensive neighbourhood), there were more casual dining choices at your disposal.
While you will still find inexpensive places in the city's most upscale areas like Itaim Bibi and Jardins, these are regarded as some of the most expensive neighbourhoods in Brazil. Dining here will see you paying noticeably more on average than elsewhere over a sustained period.
If you're planning on eating out routinely, you're likely to find a better balance between cost and options for your budget closer to Pinheiros.
As a city renowned for work and commerce over its beaches and scenery, São Paulo is always going to lose out to Rio for conventional holidaymakers seeking a quintessentially Brazilian experience.
But as a destination to work from, I personally felt it had a much more natural rhythm to fall into during the work week, with more than enough to keep you occupied outside of working hours. It has the hustle and bustle of a major city with bars and restaurants open around the clock, without feeling overbearing or as chaotic as a Southeast Asian city like Bangkok.
It's also home to a number of well-regarded museums and art galleries, with Pinacoteca de São Paulo, Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP) and Museu da Imagem e do Som (MIS) all being popular attractions.
Having visited both, I would personally choose São Paulo over Rio as a place to work from, as it felt like it had much more potential to become a longer-term home.
The major east coast cities operate on Brasília Time (BRT), which is GMT-3, putting them 3-4 hours behind most European time zones and 1-2 hours ahead of US Eastern Time throughout the year.
I started work at 7AM each day and while it required some earlier nights, it was easily achievable to remain in sync with colleagues across Europe.
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Given its sheer scale and often not glowing reputation for safety, working out where to stay in São Paulo can feel intimidating on an initial visit.
The reality you'll find on arrival is that you've got a choice of well-connected, leafy neighbourhoods to choose from, all with an abundance of modern apartment buildings.
I'm not going to claim to be an expert after just seven days and covering a relatively small footprint of the city, but the following areas stood out to me and are generally regarded as safe bets.
If you're staying in Vila Madalena, it's well worth booking a day at this site which seems to eschew most of the worst trends associated with the brand. WeWork occupies this entire building, set off from one of the higher streets in the neighbourhood.
The All Access space is located on the seventh floor, with several balconies available to take in the views looking across a particularly green stretch of the city.
On the ground floor, there's an expansive outdoor seating area, with full-sized tables and sofas, with sufficient shade provided by the building's canopies. If you fancy getting sunburnt (or more likely wet), there's a large open-plan area on the building's roof.
What set this site apart was how quiet and peaceful it was, embodying the serene feeling which surrounds the neighbourhood. There was no music, no overly chatty staff at the community bar, no 11AM sound of table tennis rattling your ear drums. Most desks were occupied by individual independent workers, making it a professional and quiet space to get whatever you need done.
Coffee Lab is under a 5 minute walk away and Casa Jardim is a fantastic place to pick up an inexpensive lunch buffet in a beautiful building, even closer to the office.
If you're looking for a peaceful corner of São Paulo to get your workday done with minimal hassle - look no further.
Avenue Paulista - Perfect location in what feels like the centre of the city. The All Access seating, however, appears to be taken by groups of office workers early in the morning, making it feel more like someone's private office than a quiet area to get work done.
R. Butantã, 194 - Large open-plan space for All Access members on the fifth floor. While it's a decent building with plenty of seats, the immediate neighbourhood isn't somewhere I'd intentionally choose to base myself for the long term.
Brazil introduced a remote worker visa in January 2022. Applications must be made in person at a Brazilian consulate.
The visa allows remote workers employed by foreign companies to live in Brazil for one year, with the option to renew for a second year. Applicants must provide proof of foreign employment/income, demonstrate monthly earnings of $1,500+ or $18,000 in savings, hold valid Brazilian private medical insurance, and submit a criminal clearance certificate from their home country.
Processing time is typically 3-4 weeks. Requirements for dependents are not yet clearly defined.
One week wasn't sufficient to see even half of what I would have liked to in the city. At a minimum, two weeks would feel ideal, assuming you are balancing the trip with work commitments.
Mid-December brought with it both pockets of almost uncomfortable sunshine and heavy downpours, with the default appearing to be moderate cloud cover and mild temperatures around the clock.
March-May and October-November are generally regarded as the best seasons to visit the city to minimise rainfall. Unlike Rio, where rainy or cloudy days can severely impact your ability to enjoy the beach or hiking, it didn't feel quite as disastrous in São Paulo with less reliance on outdoor activities.
São Paulo felt an incredibly diverse city. Alongside the natural diversity of the country's population itself, the city is home to both the world's largest Japanese and Lebanese communities outside their respective home countries. Whilst perhaps not as immediately jovial or playful as their Carioca neighbours in Rio, I generally found Paulistas equally as warm and approachable.
You're naturally likely to find substantially fewer international tourists passing through the city, but as a loose demographic indicator, in each of the WeWork offices I visited there was a distinctly more international feel than what I found in Rio.
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