who tf even lives in juiz de fora in 2026? (a broke student's census)

so i’ve been stuck in juiz de fora for the last four years ‘cause my parents think ‘it’s safe’ and rent’s ‘cheap.’ safe? compared to what, a warzone? it’s fine, i guess. but let’s cut the tourism brochure crap and talk about who’s actually here in 2026, ‘cause the vibe is shifting hard.

first, the weather. it’s either pissing rain that floods the entire terceira marcha downtown or so humid you feel like a boiled shrimp. not ‘charming,’ just relentless. and yeah, we’re a short, hellish bus ride from belo horizonte (1.5 hours if you’re lucky) and a ‘scenic’ three-hour drive to rio’s chaos. everybody and their boteco-owning uncle has a story about that stretch of br-040.

*the students (yo, that's me). we’re the oxygen here. ufjf swallows us whole. you see us in the cafés near são domingos, looking dead-eyed at textbooks. rent for a shared apt in santa helena? around r$800 if you’re lucky. a room in manuel presilio? r$600 but you’ll share with someone’s grandpa’s pottery collection. the internet’s a gamble. a local on the juiz de fora subreddit warned me: ‘don’t trust vivo’s signal near the federal university.’ he’s not wrong.

the ‘old money’ and the new tech bros. the centro is still full of these faded colonial mansions owned by families who’ve been here since before the coffee crash. but now you’ve got these remote tech workers from são paulo moving into lofts above the praça da república, paying r$2,500 for a one-bedroom and opening single-origin coffee shops. it’s creating this weird friction. one barista told me: ‘they come for the ‘colonial soul’ and price everyone out.’ thanks, gringo.

the disappeared job market. unless you’re in med or law at ufjf, good luck. the industrial sector-the old textile mills-is a ghost story. most people i know hustle at call centers (hallelujah for english accents, i guess) or sell things on olx. a disillusioned consultant (i met one at a sad little bar near the bus station) said the city’s ‘demographic time bomb’ is the young people with degrees leaving for bh or abroad. he called it a ‘slow leak.’

> "the rain in jf isn't water, it's liquid regret. and the rent? you pay for the view of the neighbor's laundry line." - overheard at bar do zacarias, some dude who’s clearly been here too long.

safety? it’s not rio, but you don’t walk alone at night near the rodoviária. my photography professor (yes, i’m that student) got her camera stolen right in front of the são pedro basilica. ‘just be aware,’ she shrugged, like it’s normal.

what it costs to just exist here (rough 2026 numbers, feel free to fact-check me):
- room in a shared house: r$600 - r$1,200
- monthly bus pass: r$180 (if the union doesn’t strike)
- dingy studio apartment: r$1,300 - r$2,000
- one decent meal at a ‘por quilo’: r$35
- cinema ticket: r$40 (and you’re watching a two-week-old marvel flick)
- monthly gym membership: r$120 (at one of those basic places)

the true demographic secret? the weekend empties*. on fridays, the university crowd vanishes to bh or the beach. the city breathes a sigh of relief, then the saturday markets fill with farmers from the countryside, and the ‘permanent’ locals-the shopkeepers, the retired teachers-take over. it’s two cities in one.

> "my tia says the best time in jf was 1985. she’s probably right, but the pão de queijo is still fire." - rumor from a guy at mercado municipal.

so who lives here in 2026? a melting pot of students grinding for a degree, fading old families clinging to patrícia buildings, and a sprinkle of digital nomads who think ‘authentic’ means ‘cheap.’ we’re all just waiting for something better, or just waiting for the rain to stop. if you come, bring a raincoat and low expectations. and for the love of god, check the subreddit /r/juizdefora before you book anything.

seriously, i’m not kidding about the rain.

ps: the best cheap eats? yelp’s got a list but half are closed. you’re better off asking at the padaria. and if you want to see the ‘pretty’ part of the city, tripadvisor will show you the park but not the potholes on the way there.

here, look at this city i’m talking about:

and sometimes it looks like this, all grey and tired:

and sometimes you just stare at an old phone wondering why you’re here:

anyway, i gotta go find a free wi-fi spot. my data’s almost gone.