South America

Can you drink tap water in Brazil?

Capital: BrasiliaPortuguese, Spanish, English, FrenchUpdated October 2026

Boil itFilter or boil

Can you drink the tap water in Brazil?

Tap water is treated, but filter or boil it. Treated in big cities, but locals filter it; drink filtered or bottled. Ice in restaurants and bars is usually bought in and safe.

Key facts

Safely managed drinking water: 89% of people (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP).

Tap water by place in Brazil

Place	Verdict	Notes
Rio de Janeiro	Filter or boil	Treated but tastes of chlorine; locals use filters or bottled water. Restaurant ice is generally safe.
São Paulo	Filter or boil	Treated, but buildings have old tanks; locals use filters or bottled water. Restaurant ice is generally safe.
Foz do Iguaçu	Filter or boil	Treated but locals filter it; drink bottled or filtered water. Ice at restaurants is generally safe.
Florianópolis	Filter or boil	Treated but often chlorinated; locals use filters. Some beach areas use well water, so choose bottled or filtered.
Salvador	Filter or boil	Treated but locals use filters or bottled water. Restaurant ice is generally safe.
Jericoacoara	No, drink bottled	Drink bottled or filtered water; most pousadas provide refills. Ice at bars is usually bought in and safe.
Ilha Grande	No, drink bottled	Island water is from streams and wells; drink bottled or filtered. Refills are sold in Abraão.
Paraty	No, drink bottled	Local water can be hard and chlorinated; drink bottled or filtered. Ice at restaurants is generally safe.
Búzios	No, drink bottled	Local supply can be salty or irregular; drink bottled or filtered water.
Fernando de Noronha	No, drink bottled	Desalinated and brackish; drink bottled or filtered water. Pousadas supply refills, and reusable bottles help.
Recife	Filter or boil	Treated but often chlorinated; locals use filters or bottled water. Restaurant ice is generally safe.
Fortaleza	Filter or boil	Treated but often chlorinated; locals use filters or bottled water. Restaurant ice is generally safe.
Manaus	Filter or boil	City water is treated but locals filter it; drink bottled or filtered water, and avoid ice outside restaurants.
Pipa	Filter or boil	Drink bottled or filtered water. Ice at restaurants is usually safe.
Natal	Filter or boil	Locals use filters or buy 20-litre bottles; drink bottled or filtered water. Ice in restaurants is usually fine.
Maceió	Filter or boil	Locals use filters or bottled water; drink bottled or filtered. Ice in restaurants is usually bought in and safe.
Belo Horizonte	Filter or boil	Tap water is treated, but most locals filter it. Drink bottled or filtered water; restaurant ice is fine.
Brasília	Filter or boil	Tap water is treated and generally safe, but locals filter it. Drink bottled or filtered; ice is fine.
Itacaré	Filter or boil	Drink filtered or bottled water; restaurants use filtered water and ice from packaged sources.
Morro de São Paulo	No, drink bottled	Island water is not for drinking. Use bottled or filtered water; ice is from packaged sources.
Chapada Diamantina	Filter or boil	Tap water is treated but most people drink filtered or bottled. Mineral-rich spring water from trails should be filtered.
Lençóis Maranhenses	No, drink bottled	Drink bottled or filtered water. Check that drinks in remote villages use packaged ice.
Bonito	Filter or boil	Tap water is treated but most people drink filtered or bottled. Rivers are protected and clear, not for drinking.
Ouro Preto	Filter or boil	Tap water is treated but locals filter it; drink bottled or filtered water. Restaurant ice is generally fine.
Curitiba	Filter or boil	Sanepar tap water is treated, but many residents use filters. Drink filtered or bottled water; it is cheap.
Porto Alegre	Filter or boil	DMAE tap water is treated, but most locals filter it. Drink bottled or filtered water; restaurant ice is generally fine.
Belém	Filter or boil	Locals filter the tap or buy bottled water; drink filtered or bottled. Ice in restaurants is usually bought in and safe.
Balneário Camboriú	Filter or boil	Locals use filters or bottled water; drink filtered or bottled. Ice in restaurants is usually bought in and safe.
Porto de Galinhas	Filter or boil	Locals use filters or bottled water; drink filtered or bottled. Ice in restaurants is usually bought in and safe.
Gramado	Filter or boil	Locals filter or buy bottled water; drink filtered or bottled. Ice in restaurants is usually bought in and safe.

Tap water by place

Sources

Compiled and reviewed by SoloSquare. How we compile and score this. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.