Porto Belo among Brazil's top cities for high-end housing demand

Brasília, São Paulo, Goiânia, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza and Porto Belo. The list of Brazilian cities with the strongest demand for high-end homes is made up almost entirely of state capitals, and a city of just over 31,000 people on the Emerald Coast sits among them.

What the IDI Brasil is

The Real Estate Demand Index (IDI Brasil) is produced by the Sienge ecosystem and CV CRM, with methodology by Grupo Prospecta and in partnership with the Brazilian Chamber of the Construction Industry (CBIC). It measures how attractive cities are for new residential projects, combining demand, economic dynamics, supply and the performance of recent launches.

The index splits the market into three segments. The high-end segment covers households earning more than R$ 24,000 a month and homes from R$ 811,000.

Porto Belo in the national top 10

In the first-quarter 2026 survey, covering 81 cities, Porto Belo ranked 7th nationally in the high-end segment and first among cities that are not state capitals. The quarter's top 10 was Brasília, São Paulo, Goiânia, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza, Porto Belo, Belo Horizonte, São Luís and Florianópolis.

In the following edition, for the second quarter of 2026, Porto Belo remains among the index's top ten, with a score of 0.638. Nor is this a one-off: the city has appeared near the top of the IDI since the study's first rounds.

What drives demand

• Population growth: Porto Belo's population grew more than 72% in a decade, creating year-round demand beyond holiday homes.
• Business volume: R$ 2.5 billion in new-home sales in the first half of 2026, with 2,850 units sold, according to DWV.
• Launches: the city has led real estate launches in Santa Catarina for three years running.
• Infrastructure and leisure: Píer Oporto, the It! Wheel observation wheel and the planned footbridge linking Perequê to Meia Praia, on the border with Itapema.
• Nature and location: emerald-green beaches a few kilometres from Itapema and Balneário Camboriú.

A city entering a new phase

Porto Belo has moved beyond being mainly a holiday market and now attracts high-income residents and investors all year round. That shift shows in the profile of new developments, with more services, full amenities and projects designed for people seeking quality of life by the sea.

For buyers, a market with steady high-end demand offers more confidence on resale and good rental prospects. Neighbourhoods such as Perequê account for much of this movement.

Talk to Velaris

Velaris works with selected developments in Porto Belo and Itapema, including high-end projects. Talk to our team on WhatsApp to explore the options.

Licensed broker: Valter Fernandes · CRECI/SC 37.128