Maceio is modern, clean, and elegant…with miles of brilliant, white-sand beaches studded with colorful umbrellas and bordered by tall, swaying palms. Its warm turquoise waters gently lap the shores as beachgoers from all over enjoy the sun and sand.

And what’s even better, you can buy a large, three-bedroom apartment here for less than US$75,000, and live in it for under US$1,400 per month.

The cost of living is moderate in Maceio by Brazilian standards, (and low by North American standards). I’ve seen places in Brazil that were considerably less—and also considerably more—although you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better place to live than Maceio.

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. If you spend most of your time at home (or on the beach), you’ll 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 changes.

This first table is for people who plan on renting an apartment in Maceio:

Renting an apartment

Owning your own house

This budget assumes that you own a house in the area. The specific tax and utility rates are from a three-bedroom, two-bath house in the Farol district.

And finally, here are the approximate costs of car ownership. Here I’m assuming that you’re using the car to get around town, but not using it for commuting a distance to work every day.

Owning a Car