Buying Property in Balneário Camboriú, near Florianópolis

A wall of apartments on a 5.8 km beach

Balneário Camboriú is an hour up the BR-101 and could hardly be more different from the island. Route tools give 79 km to 82 km from downtown Florianópolis and about 1 hour 1 minute to 1 hour 7 minutes without traffic; one local guide says 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on traffic and the road. The 2022 census counted 139,155 residents, and a 2024 report said 57.2% of the population lives in apartment buildings.

The beach is the point of the city and its central problem. High-rises line Avenida Atlântica along the sand, and the sun disappears behind them in the afternoon. A December 2021 ND Mais report said that after 4 p.m. the sand is in their shade, and the mayor said the widening was about coastal protection, not light. The 2021 widening, by Crea-SC's account about nine months of work, took the sand to 70 m along 5.8 km. Buyers choosing between this and Jurerê Internacional are choosing between two ideas of a beach district: apartments stacked on a city seafront, or low houses behind a green strip.

FipeZAP's top of the state

FipeZAP had the city at R$ 15,369/m² in September 2026, up 0.17% in the month and, on a site citing the same index, 3.96% over 12 months. Itapema, about 68 km from Florianópolis, stood at R$ 15,340 and rose 4.49%. That makes Balneário Camboriú about 13% more expensive than Florianópolis at R$ 13,607, while the capital rose 8.31% in the same 12 months, so the gap is narrowing. In general, a citywide average here mixes old apartments a few blocks inland with new units in very tall buildings, so ask for prices on your own block.

The ranking changes quickly. Itapema passed it in May 2026 at R$ 15,226 against R$ 15,215, and it was back on top by R$ 29 in September. Vitória has since passed both at R$ 15,905. Do not read much into first place. Read the 12-month figures, which show the market here growing more slowly than the capital.

Who buys? One July 2026 report said 16% of the apartments sold in one residential building went to foreigners, but no citywide count turned up. High-end stock here is often bought off-plan, in general, so the off-plan guide should come first, especially on how delivery delays and the INCC index work.

The 2026 zoning law and what it means for a view

On 15 July 2026 the mayor signed Lei Complementar 132/2026, the first major zoning overhaul in nearly two decades. A veto kept the seafront and the consolidated center, between Avenida Atlântica and Terceira Avenida, with no height limit. Corridors outside the seafront can now reach up to 150 m, especially in the Barra area. The basic building allowance is 2.2 times the lot, and anything above it pays the city an outorga onerosa, a charge that the city estimates has raised R$ 1 billion since 2010. These summaries come from real-estate sites, which is why you should check the annexes of the law itself for any specific lot.

The practical point comes from those same commercial sources: a view is not protected. In a zone with no height limit a neighboring lot can go up, and existing buildings can be demolished for bigger ones. Paying for a view on the fifth or fifteenth floor, you need to see what could rise on the lots in front. The same law cuts the other way on land value: older buildings on large lots may become redevelopment targets, which affects both your price and your peace.

The plan also calls for a 15 m setback along the Rio Camboriú for a public boardwalk, so check any riverfront lot. Hills and the APA Costa Brava keep lower-density rules.

Taxes, water tests and who can afford to live here

ITBI here is higher than on the island. MySide's 2026 guide puts the usual rate at 3%, against 2% in the capital, with 1% on what the housing system finances and 2% on some first sales within 90 days of the condominium registration. Confirm the rule with the city, and see the closing costs guide. That extra point means R$ 10,000 more on a sale at R$ 1,000,000, though notary and registry fees follow the same low state table as Florianópolis.

The state's bathing tests swing here. In the week of 15 December 2025, Pontal Norte and the lagoon at Taquaras failed and the other points on the central beach passed. A year earlier, five of 15 points were unfit, four of them on the central beach, and specialists quoted then linked that to growth and sewage handling. Read the whole season for the nearest point.

The city's own housing plan tells you about local rents. Gazeta do Povo reported in October 2026 that workers in hotels, restaurants, shops and building are moving to Camboriú, Itajaí and Itapema because they cannot afford to rent here, with trips of one to two hours depending on route and time, and that the city plans up to 8,000 affordable homes from 2027 to 2032, with reduced ITBI as one incentive. For a landlord, that signals strong rental demand but also a shortage of the staff who run a building. The plan still needs council approval.

As a general observation, the central blocks let you do most errands on foot, and you can reach Florianópolis's flights in about an hour without traffic. For somewhere quieter and cheaper on the same coast, buyers also look south at Garopaba, and for the same tall-building seafront in a bigger market, Boa Viagem in Recife, which FipeZAP's Recife reading puts well below these prices.

Questions about Balneário Camboriú

How far is Balneário Camboriú from Florianópolis?

About 80 km by the BR-101. Route tools say about an hour, and one local guide allows up to two with traffic.

Is it more expensive than Florianópolis?

Yes, on FipeZAP: R$ 15,369/m² versus the capital's R$ 13,607, though the capital's prices rose faster over the previous 12 months.

Does the seafront have a height limit?

No. A 2026 zoning law kept the seafront and central blocks with no limit, and allows up to 150 m on new corridors outside them.

Does the beach get shade?

Yes. A 2021 report said the tall buildings shade the sand after 4 p.m., and the widening did not change that. Check the time of day on your own visit.

Sources

Written by Lucas Andrade. Updated November 2026. General information, not legal, tax or investment advice.

Buying property in Balneário Camboriú