Maceio, Brazil

For a basic retiree’s budget, I’d plan on spending no less than US$1,800 per month if you plan on renting; US$1,350 per month if you plan to buy your own home. Neither of these includes the cost of running a car.

But remember that these numbers will vary for everyone.

Manufactured goods in Brazil can be surprisingly expensive; when buying clothes, you’ll pay prices similar to back home.

When spending most of your time at home (or on the beach), you spend less. And, you can certainly spend a lot more…especially if you rely on North American brand names and imported items.

Regardless of what you spend for the household budget, you’ll need to add about US$300 per month if you plan on using a car to get around…more if you were commuting every day to work.

To make the budgeting somewhat less subjective, I’ve broken down my number into specific line items for both household budgets and car ownership.

When calculating your own budget, be sure to add those items you want that are not shown below…things like household help, trips home, country exploration, and medical. And then subtract those items we’ve included that you don’t need.

Also, if you own a car, you can subtract some or all of the public transportation cost. Remember that these costs will change as the exchange rate fluctuates.