Sao Paulo - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
It's all relative to what you are used to, but, in general, it's not great here but it's also certainly not New Delhi or Bishkek. It's hard to find someplace quiet and non-polluted unless you want to drive several hours to escape the city or fly somewhere more rural. Whenever I leave Sao Paulo, the first thing I notice is how much cleaner the air smells elsewhere. - Jun 2024
Mostly adequate. We have heavy pollution days but it is relatively infrequent. - May 2021
Moderate. Definitely not great air quality but does not compare to places like China/India. During non-rainy season it can get pretty hazy but it does not impact your daily life too much. - Apr 2021
Air quality at post is generally relatively bad and comparable to a big US city. There are air monitors on lots of street signs. It's usually green-yellow, rarely red. - Aug 2019
In comparison to other large cities it is pretty good, but our 8-year-old daughter did have issues with the pollution and had to go on medication during our entire two years in Sao Paulo. Once we left she was able to discontinue the medication, which confirmed that pollution was the issue. - Nov 2017
Surprisingly good. The AQI in Sao Paulo is usually between 20 and 50, putting it on par with a lot of US cities. It's humid here so your allergies could act up. - Apr 2017
Generally OK for a big city. - Apr 2017
I think it's OK but the bus and car exhaust is apparent in the city. - Jan 2017
Moderate within Sao Paolo. Reinvigorating outside of the city. - Jan 2017
Air quality is moderately unhealthy, but nowhere near the severity of China and India. Most U.S. cities have a particulate matter (PM10) level under 20, according to the WHO. Sao Paulo averaged 35 in 2012. For comparison, Beijing was 121, and Delhi was 286. So, Sao Paulo is noticeably worse than U.S. air quality, but not too bad. - Aug 2015
Horrible. The pollution here is a sinus nightmare - Aug 2013
The air quality is moderate to unhealthy. Traffic is very dense, but most cars run on ethanol, which helps reduce the pollution. People with asthma and other breathing conditions may have issues, especially during the summer months. However, I have asthma and have not experienced an episode worse than when I was living in Washington, DC or Chicago, IL. Also, the medical system here is top notch, and this is home to the best hospital in South America. - Dec 2012
Air quality is unhealthy especially in the dry/winter season when you cannot escape the pollution. The rain in the rainy/summer season “cleans”the air so pollution is less obvious then. - Jan 2012
unhealthy but during dry season mostly - Jan 2012
Horrible! You'll gasp when driving in traffic. - Jan 2012
