Fortaleza, Brazil

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Fortaleza, Brazil: Beautiful Beaches And Renowned Nightlife

Reviewed by Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen is the Live and Invest Overseas Founding Publisher. She has more than 30 years of hands-on experience traveling, living, and buying property around the world.


Fortaleza Brazil
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You’ll be impressed by Fortaleza from your first visit… by its beaches, weather, and the enviable lifestyle it offers.

Striking new properties line the beachfront drive, flanked by an attractive new boardwalk, restaurants, and cafés. Best of all, it’s relatively undiscovered by the American buyer.

Fortaleza has changed over the years. But in the important, intrinsic ways, it’s the same. It comes in first, in our book, for coastal city living. And the strength of today’s dollar vs the Brazilian real has made this market a real bargain. You won’t find better value for a beach lifestyle in a world-class city.

Above all, Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest country, larger than either Europe or the United States (lower 48). With 214 million people, it’s the second most-populous country in the Western Hemisphere (after the United States).

Brazil lies an equal distance from both Lisbon and Miami. Its east coast is two hours ahead of America’s Eastern Time, and three hours behind the U.K.

Fortaleza is the capital of the Brazilian state of Ceará (pronounced seh ah RAH), a state that sits on the northeast coast just a few degrees south of the equator.

It’s characterized by its beautiful beaches with white sand, huge rolling dunes, and sparkling waters fringed with palms.

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Ceará stands out for two reasons. First, it has great weather, white sandy beaches, attractive cities, large country properties, and a few good real estate markets.

The other reason is that Ceará is somewhat off the beaten path. It is new, virgin territory for most North Americans—with plenty of upside potential— and far from the well-trodden venues of Rio, São Paulo, or Florianopolis.

Fortaleza, Brazil: The Crown Jewel Of Ceará

Beautiful downtown beaches, warm South Atlantic waters, samba, renowned nightlife, and fantastic weather

It’s no mystery why people come from all over the world to enjoy this city of 3 million, especially when you throw in the friendly residents, great shopping, and fascinating culture. And getting there is easy: the international airport is right in the city, and only a seven-mile drive from the beach.

Fortaleza is very unusual, in my experience, for having such nice beaches right downtown in a major city.

The beachfront areas are lined by a bustling, energetic boardwalk offering shops, restaurants, and small parks. You’ll find people walking, talking, jogging, and stopping for a fresh-squeezed juice, from daybreak onward. The restaurants will be busy well into the night.

Fortaleza’s Best Beaches

Praia de Iracema and Praia de Meireles are the main downtown beaches— “Praia” means “Beach” in Portuguese—with the wide Iracema lying just to the north of Meireles. (Even if you’re not a beach person, the evening artisan market at Meireles is well worth a visit.)

Praia do Mucuripe is a block or two down-coast from Meireles, near where the boardwalk passes in front of the local fisherman’s market… a downtown mainstay.

Around the point, on the east-facing part of town, you’ll find Praia do Futuro, the best beach in the city. The beach is wide and long, with coconut palms, fine white sand and a smattering of seaside cafés and restaurants, as well as fresh water public showers.

Granted, there are nicer, more-pristine beaches not far from Fortaleza, as you go up and down the coast.

Aldeota Is A Great Off-Beach Neighborhood

It lies about six blocks inland from the beach at Meireles, and has more of a downtown feel, with restaurants, cafés, and shopping.

Aldeota is somewhat removed from the beachfront hustle and bustle, the annoying boardwalk vendors, and much of the tourist traffic. It also has less-expensive properties than you’ll find in the beach areas.

The food is remarkable throughout Fortaleza. If you’re a meat lover, you’re in for a treat at the city’s churrascarias (steakhouse/barbecue). And the seafood is delectable with a wide array of fresh fish and shellfish available in most restaurants.

Exchange Rates Are Giving Power To The Investor

There are two factors to consider in the Fortaleza real estate market: the value of the properties themselves, and the value of the Brazilian currency.

An increase in the value of a property can be multiplied (or canceled out) by a corresponding shift in the currency. As to the property-value side of that equation, I expect continued strong growth.

Prices have gone up significantly in recent years (in local currency terms), not only on the beachfront, but in the inland neighborhoods as well.

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For example, in Fortaleza’s off-beach sector of Aldeota, the cost per square meter (for two-bedroom apartments) grew from 3,503 Brazilian reals in 2015 to 7,233 Brazilian reals in early 2022. That’s a 106% increase, or 15.2% annually.

But exchange rates can change that, for better or for worse.

Here’s an example of how the currency could multiply your earnings. Let’s say you bought a property for 580,000 Brazilian reals, and a year later, you sold it for 650,000 Brazilian reals. That’s a 12% gain in Brazilian real terms… not bad.

But then, what would happen if the exchange rate returned to pre-pandemic levels?

If the exchange rate of 5.16 Brazilian reals (at time of writing) per USD returned to the pre-pandemic 4.00 Brazilian reals per USD, then your 12% gain turns into a 62% gain when expressed in dollar terms.

Of course, the dollar could continue to gain and work against today’s investment in the same way, wiping out your gain altogether.

Fortaleza, Brazil: Market Overview

The market starts at about US$44,000 at today’s exchange rates. For this price you’ll get a two-bedroom, two-bath unit with one garage space in Aldeota, in an older building without much of a view.

Aldeota is a good option for full-time or seasonal living. But for vacation living or a vacation rental, you might prefer the beach. You can find ocean view property in Praia Iracema for US$91,000.

The adjacent Praia Meireles, a nicer area, starts at about US$112,000 for a non-beachfront, ocean view unit. Beachfront ocean view units start at around US$200k.

Within Meireles there are high-spec luxury buildings—like the Landscape project—that sell for the higher end of that range. In a top-end building, expect to spend between US$200,000 and US$525,000 for their beachfront, ocean facing units.

Keep in mind that Brazilian apartments are typically smaller than what Americans or Canadians will be used to, with most under 100 square meters (1,076 square feet). Appliances are often not included in the sale, unless specified.

When renting out your unit in Fortaleza, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that the long-term renter pays the condominium fees rather than the owner. This applies to HOA fees used to maintain common areas and amenities.

The tenant is not required to pay fees assessed for building capital improvements or replenishment of the contingency fund. The tenant also often pays the property tax, although this is not required unless it’s included in the rental contract.

For long-term (annual) contracts, you can expect a net return of between 5% and 5.5%, allowing for maintenance costs and a half-year of property taxes (since not all contracts require payment of property taxes).

Short-term rentals were only slightly better. The gross income can be much higher, but you will have to pay short-term property management fees, condo fees, and property tax on short-term rentals.

Fortaleza is a good bet for the second homeowner who wants sophisticated city living with a beach at your doorstep… along with a super-low cost of living.

The potential for capital gains in Fortaleza is good, but there is even more potential gain if the currency returns to pre-pandemic levels. The currency trends will be in the investor’s favor… but remember that currencies can go either way, without apparent logic.

Fortaleza is a real bargain by world standards right now. You’ll be hard-pressed to find this level of sophistication, in this climate, at these prices, anywhere else.

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