Before my trip to Brazil, I heard both positive and negative impressions of the country. Since it was my first time visiting, I was interested to see which kind of experience I’d have. It ended up being a bit of both.

Demand has not kept up with the surge of new construction in Brazil. This gap has led to higher vacancy rates and lower or more negotiable rents. Landlords with vacant units are still responsible for expensive maintenance fees and IPTU taxes, and some may be willing to lower the rent to secure a tenant.

If you are going to all or part of the competition in Rio, you’ll need to know some costs to budget accordingly.