A "What to Buy Before You Move to Brazil" Checklist
You've got the visa sorted, the Portuguese is coming along, and the move is actually happening. Before you start packing, there's one question worth sitting with: what should you buy in the US before you leave?
It sounds simple. It isn't. Brazil's import tax structure quietly inflates the price of a huge range of everyday products — electronics, kitchen tools, health supplies, clothing — often by double. And some things you won't find at any price once you land.
This list pulls from the real, documented experience of expats and relocators who went through it and wrote it all down.
Before the List: One Thing to Understand
Brazil is genuinely great for locally made goods. Furniture, leather, fresh produce, handmade textiles — often beautiful quality, often cheap. What Brazil taxes hard is anything manufactured outside the country and imported commercially. That's what this list is about.
The good news: if you're establishing residency, the Certificado de Bagagem lets you bring personal effects and household goods into Brazil duty-free. Your used laptop, your camera, your kitchen knives — these travel as part of your life, not as commercial imports, and they clear customs accordingly. The catch is they need to already be yours before you leave. [^1]
Technology & Electronics
Nothing else on this list has a price gap quite like electronics. Brazil's layered import tax system — stacking federal duties, industrial taxes, social contributions, and a state-level VAT on top of each other — routinely adds 40–100% to the price of imported tech. [^2] There's no workaround once you're there. Buy before you go.
Laptop / MacBook Pro The math here is just brutal. A $2,500 MacBook Pro in the US runs R$22,000–R$28,000 (~$4,400-$5,600 USD) in Brazil. [^3] Yikes! Buy the best machine you'll realistically use for the next four or five years. It fits in a carry-on and it's probably the most valuable thing you'll pack relative to its size.
iPhone / Smartphone Brazil is the second most expensive country in the world to buy an iPhone. The gap is 70–85% above US retail depending on model. [^3] If your phone has seen better days, replace it before you board.
Camera and Drone A mirrorless camera body that costs $2,500 here can land at $5,000 or more after Brazilian taxes. DJI drones sit in a similar range — and availability is patchy to begin with. Any professional or creative use for either? Buy now, bring it as your gear.
Headphones, Microphones & Audio Gear A $200 audio interface in the US can sell for R$2,000 or more in a Brazilian music store. If you make content, record music, or podcast, put your kit together before you leave.
Cables, Adapters & Accessories Bring more than you think you need — power banks, USB cables, extension cords, surge protectors. Quality equivalents cost more and are harder to find in Brazil. [^4] Also worth knowing before you arrive: Brazil uses Type N outlets and runs on 127V or 220V depending on city, sometimes even by neighborhood. A quality voltage converter for US-spec devices isn't optional.
Kitchen Equipment
Ask any expat what they wish they'd packed and kitchen gear comes up every time. It's easy to overlook until you're standing in an empty apartment trying to cook. [^4]
Good kitchen knives — Bring yours if you care about them. Quality imported knives do exist in São Paulo, but you'll pay for the privilege.
Cast iron skillet — Not made locally. Imported, and expensive when it shows up at all.
High-powered blender — Vitamix and Blendtec are technically available in Brazil. They're also priced like luxury goods. Pack it. Looking for savings on the USD side, too? Check out the Ninja set.
Stainless steel coffee press — Slightly absurd given the coffee culture, but the local market runs on glass and plastic versions. Stainless is imported.
Kitchen scissors, can opener, bag clips — These feel like afterthoughts until they're not there. Multiple expats specifically mention a quality can opener being impossible to find. Ever been frustrated by a can opener? And if not... do you want to be? A few bucks, and you can avoid it. [^4]
Measuring cups & spoons (US standard) — Brazil runs metric, like much of the world. But if US recipes are part of your regular rotation or your sense of "home cooking", bring the set.
Health, Personal Care & Cleaning
Brazilian pharmacies are solid for standard medications. The frustration is with specific brands, natural products, and anything niche — that's where the gaps open up.
Prescription medications — Don't just bring a few weeks' worth. Bring a real supply and use the time to track down local equivalents, which may have different formulations or brand names. [^5]
Vitamins & specialty supplements — MCT oil, collagen, green powders, magnesium — you'll find some of these in Brazil, but expect to pay more and have fewer options. [^4]
Fragrance-free & natural laundry detergent — One family who moved to São Paulo looked for eight months before finding a scent-free option. [^4] If your household is sensitive to fragrance, bring enough to give yourself a real runway.
Electric toothbrush & Waterpik — More expensive as imports. Bring yours and pack extra brush heads.
Sunscreen — Locally available, and Brazil's sun absolutely demands it. If you have a formula you love and trust, though, bring a supply — it's cheaper than the imported version you'd find there. [^5]
Natural cleaning products — Castile soap, baking soda, Borax, OxiClean. The market for these in Brazil exists but is still thin. Multiple families documented hunting for these for months after arriving. [^4]
Clothing & Footwear
Clothes in your size — Brazilian sizing skews smaller than US sizing, and larger sizes are harder to find — particularly for men. Underwear, athletic wear, everyday basics: bring enough to last a year while you figure out where to shop. [^4]
Specialty shoe sizes — Men's shoes above Brazilian size 42–43 (roughly US 9–10) get scarce fast outside major cities. Women have more options, but specialty sizes are still hit or miss.
Name brand outdoor & athletic gear — Columbia, North Face, and that category of brand are either absent or priced as imports. Whatever you already own, bring it.
Down comforters & cotton bedding — Quality versions are expensive imports. [^4] Moving into an unfurnished place means sleeping on something, and this is worth the suitcase weight.
Kids & Family
Children's clothing & shoes — Same sizing issues as adults, compounded by the fact that kids grow and you'll need to replace things regularly. Pack the next two size ranges up before you leave. [^4]
English-language books — Genuinely hard to find in most Brazilian cities. Load up an e-reader, yes — but bring physical books too, especially for younger kids.
Toys & games — Imported brands are either unavailable or significantly marked up. [^4] Bring the things that matter to your kids.
Baby & maternity items — Specialty products, organic formulas, specific maternity gear: expensive and limited. This one needs planning ahead.
Tools, Hobby & Professional Equipment
Basic tool set — Screwdrivers, headlamp, pliers, tape measure. US-brand tools are cheaper in the US than Brazil.
Musical instruments & accessories — Strings, replacement parts, instrument accessories: all expensive in Brazil and thin on selection outside São Paulo and Rio. [^4] They're often heavy and bulky items to travel with, though. Bring what you'll actually play or gift to a friend in Brazil.
Professional equipment — This one has real legal backing. The Certificado de Bagagem explicitly covers tools and instruments tied to your profession for people establishing residency. [^1] Cameras, audio interfaces, 3D printers, laser engravers — a portable laser engraver that runs $800 in the US would cost R$4,500–R$6,000 in Brazil on a good day. Bring your tools.
Packing Priority Order
Two suitcases and a carry-on. You can't bring everything, so here's how to stack rank it:
Technology — biggest price gap, lightest relative to value, fits in carry-on
Health supplies — hardest to replace locally, easy to underestimate until you need something
Kids' items — high stakes emotionally, expensive to replicate in Brazil
Kitchen equipment — heavier, but the knives and cast iron will outlast your entire time there
Clothing — fill remaining weight with what you'll actually reach for
Leave behind: furniture, large appliances, anything Brazil makes well and cheaply. Brazilian furniture is genuinely good. Leather goods, handmade items, local food — all cheaper there than here. The list above is specifically for the categories where buying in the US just makes sense.
A Word on Customs
The Certificado de Bagagem exists for people who are actually moving — not for slipping commercial goods across the border. Items should look used, quantities should match personal use, and the overall picture should make sense as someone's real life in transit. [^1]
One of something is a person. Twelve of the same thing is inventory.
Browse Tarifado's full product comparison guide for current price gap data on the most commonly purchased items in the US-to-Brazil corridor.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or customs advice. Affiliate links are occasionally used and directly support the upkeep and labor costs of this website. Regulations are subject to change. Always verify current rules with the Receita Federal before travel. Prices current as of publishing date and subject to change.
Sources
[^1]: Receita Federal do Brasil — Unaccompanied Baggage and Moving to Brazil
[^2]: Novatrade Brazil — Import Duties and Taxes in Brazil
[^3]: Visual Capitalist — Ranked: The iPhone Price Index in 2025
[^4]: Infomiss — Moving to Brazil: Supply Runs, What to Pack & Residency
[^5]: Travel Jewels — The Ultimate Brazil Packing List