Hi Ariane, I lived in Brazil for 9 years and found your post interesting. There is a lot of truth in it. In the US, where I'm from, there is definitely a more consumerist approach. However, I don't think all the minimalism in Brazil is purposeful. Things are much more expensive in Brazil including housing. Plus the taxes are ridiculously high with less to show for it. I had friends who made well over 30K reais per month, but had high costs and taxes. A huge part of the difference is "disposable" income. There are also a lot of other variables. For example, houses in Texas are going to be huge given the regional culture and low cost of housing. Housing in NYC or Los Angeles is going to be more similar to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro where space is limited and demand is high.

I did like your post and it reminded me of my memorable stay there. Ate mais!