The Most Expensive City to Live in Brazil Surpassed Leblon, Ipanema, and Itaim Bibi; It Has Income Four Times Higher Than the National Average and Skyscrapers Over 200 Meters. Discover the Region Where the Average Price Has Already Exceeded R$ 16,400 Per Square Meter.

Written by Valdemar Medeiros

Published on 10/10/2025 at 13:22

Foto: A cidade mais cara do Brasil para morar superou Leblon, Ipanema e Itaim Bibi

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With the Most Expensive Square Meter in Brazil, This Coastal City in Santa Catarina Attracts Millionaires, Builds Record Skyscrapers, and Already Surpasses Rio and São Paulo in Property Prices.

Brazil has a new champion in housing prices — and it is not in São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. According to the FipeZAP+ Index 2024, the city with the most expensive square meter in the country is Balneário Camboriú, on the northern coast of Santa Catarina, where the average price exceeds R$ 16,400 per square meter, surpassing iconic neighborhoods such as Ipanema (RJ) and Jardins (SP).

In some areas of the waterfront, especially on Avenida Atlântica, values reach R$ 35,000/m² — a level comparable to luxury properties in Miami, Lisbon, and Dubai. The result reflects a silent transformation: the once seasonal resort has become one of the most expensive square meters on the American continent.

The City That Became a Synonym for Vertical Luxury

Balneário Camboriú has only 140,000 inhabitants, but boasts a skyline worthy of a metropolis.
In recent years, the city has gained worldwide attention for concentrating the tallest residential buildings in South America, including the One Tower, which stands at 290 meters high, a continental record.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Impressive Numbers

The data explain why Balneário Camboriú has become a real estate phenomenon:

Average Price per m² (FipeZAP 2024): R$ 16,415
Maximum Price in Premium Areas: R$ 35,000/m²
Growth in the Last 5 Years: +68%
Population: 140,000 inhabitants
Estimated Number of Residential Buildings: over 1,200
Luxury Units Under Construction: around 10,000

The city also has the highest density of high-end buildings per inhabitant in Brazil, with one luxury apartment for every 14 residents, according to a survey by Secovi-SC.

Why Are Properties So Expensive

Three factors explain the price surge in Balneário Camboriú:

privileged location, geographical limitations, and aspirational status.

The city is squeezed between the sea and the Serra do Mar, which limits new areas for urban expansion and causes land prices to soar.

Additionally, it has become a status symbol among entrepreneurs, celebrities, and investors, who seek quality of life and security in a medium-sized city.

The city where there is no IPTU or income tax: residents receive luxury apartments with sports cars in the garage and benefits that seem unreal

“Balneário Camboriú has become the country’s most valued square meter by uniting exclusivity, natural beauty, and developments that deliver a level of comfort comparable to the world’s largest capitals,” explains Fábio Rossi, an economist at FipeZAP, in an interview with CNN Brasil.

An Urban Luxury Model Outside the Rio-SP Axis

The phenomenon in Santa Catarina has reversed the historical logic of the national real estate market. Traditionally, the Southeast concentrated the most expensive square meters in the country, but now the top of the ranking is in a medium-sized city in the South.

While Jardim Paulista in São Paulo averages R$ 15,000/m², Balneário Camboriú has already surpassed this figure even outside the summer season. Compared to Leblon, the most expensive neighborhood in Rio, the difference is minimal — and in some beachfront buildings, Balneário Camboriú is already more expensive.

The Power of Local Developers

Companies like FG Empreendimentos, Embraed, and Pasqualotto have transformed the city into a luxury construction site. These developers have invested in towers with panoramic balconies, helipads, private social elevators, and clubhouses with infinity pools, which has raised the architectural standard and consolidated the new luxury market in southern Brazil.

The most exclusive developments include:

One Tower (290 m) – the tallest building in Latin America
Yachthouse Residence Club (281 m) – featuring a private marina and 81 floors
Infinity Coast (234 m) – a reference in construction technology
Epic Tower and Boreal Tower – new icons under construction

These towers have transformed the landscape and redefined the concept of living by the sea in Brazil.

Infrastructure of a Big City with a Beach Atmosphere

Despite its modest size, Balneário Camboriú offers urban infrastructure comparable to that of major capitals: reference hospitals, international-standard hotel networks, bilingual schools, shopping centers, a nearby airport (in Navegantes), and a tourist port that receives luxury cruises.

The revitalization of the Central Beach sand strip, completed in 2023 with a 25-meter widening, expanded the pedestrian space and further increased the value of beachfront properties.

The Challenges of a Millionaire City

With such appreciation, challenges arise: high cost of living, urban traffic congestion, and rising prices of basic services. The average monthly rent in upscale areas has already surpassed R$ 10,000, and the demand for workers in hospitality and construction has been increasing, putting pressure on the market.

Nonetheless, the purchasing power of new residents — entrepreneurs, investors, and celebrities — keeps the sector thriving and makes the city one of the economic engines of Santa Catarina.

Balneário Camboriú: The Symbol of the New High-Standard Brazil

The case of Balneário Camboriú symbolizes a paradigm shift: a city that, even outside the traditional Rio–São Paulo axis, has become the largest luxury real estate market in the country.

With the most expensive square meter in Brazil, record-high buildings in height and technology, and an economy based on high-standard tourism and construction, the coastal city of Santa Catarina has transformed into an icon of new urban and aspirational Brazil.

Today, living in Balneário Camboriú means more than just living by the sea —
it is being part of one of the most expensive, sought-after, and iconic addresses in all of South America.

The Most Expensive City to Live in Brazil Surpassed Leblon, Ipanema, and Itaim Bibi; It Has Income Four Times Higher Than the National Average and Skyscrapers Over 200 Meters. Discover the Region Where the Average Price Has Already Exceeded R$ 16,400 Per Square Meter.

With the Most Expensive Square Meter in Brazil, This Coastal City in Santa Catarina Attracts Millionaires, Builds Record Skyscrapers, and Already Surpasses Rio and São Paulo in Property Prices.

The City That Became a Synonym for Vertical Luxury

Impressive Numbers

Why Are Properties So Expensive

An Urban Luxury Model Outside the Rio-SP Axis

The Power of Local Developers

Infrastructure of a Big City with a Beach Atmosphere

The Challenges of a Millionaire City

Balneário Camboriú: The Symbol of the New High-Standard Brazil

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The Most Expensive City to Live in Brazil Surpassed Leblon, Ipanema, and Itaim Bibi; It Has Income Four Times Higher Than the National Average and Skyscrapers Over 200 Meters. Discover the Region Where the Average Price Has Already Exceeded R$ 16,400 Per Square Meter.

With the Most Expensive Square Meter in Brazil, This Coastal City in Santa Catarina Attracts Millionaires, Builds Record Skyscrapers, and Already Surpasses Rio and São Paulo in Property Prices.

The City That Became a Synonym for Vertical Luxury

Impressive Numbers

Why Are Properties So Expensive

An Urban Luxury Model Outside the Rio-SP Axis

The Power of Local Developers

Infrastructure of a Big City with a Beach Atmosphere

The Challenges of a Millionaire City

Balneário Camboriú: The Symbol of the New High-Standard Brazil

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

China is building an artificial island in the middle of the sea, covering 20 km², to construct the largest offshore airport in the world, the Dalian Jinzhouwan. This $4.3 billion project is anchored on more than 3,000 pillars embedded in the rock beneath the ocean and is scheduled to open in 2035.

A robot named Walter does the work of five bricklayers per hour and can save the construction industry, where the average age of professionals is 46 years and almost no one wants to learn the trade anymore, in the United Kingdom.

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