Belo Horizonte life simulator

Belo Horizonte is the capital of Minas Gerais, framed by the Serra do Curral mountains. Locals start the morning with coffee and cheese bread at corner bakeries, called padarias. In the evenings, people gather on sidewalks outside neighborhood bars, called botecos, to talk over cold beer and snacks.

Brazil uses the Brazilian real. In Belo Horizonte, daily payments rarely require paper money. Locals pay for meals, groceries, and street snacks with Pix instant transfers or by scanning QR codes. Shops and bakeries also accept credit and debit cards, though you may want some cash for small vendors.

Living costs vary across the city's neighborhoods. Central areas like Savassi, Lourdes, and Santo Agostinho have the most expensive apartments and dining. Districts such as Sion, Gutierrez, and Santa Tereza sit in the middle range. Residential areas further out, including Padre Eustáquio, Cidade Nova, and Santa Mônica, offer cheaper housing.

LifeSim does not charge rent or pay a salary. You do not pay for bus rides, metro fares, or monthly bills. Instead, your cash changes directly through the activities you do and the chats you have.

Say you start as a 28-year-old software engineer living in Savassi. In the morning, you search the map for a local bakery, or padaria, and walk there. You talk to the baker in your own words, without dialogue menus.

In the afternoon, a friend texts you to plan an outing to Praça da Liberdade. You walk there together on the 3D map and talk as a group. Later, a birthday drinks happening appears on the map along Rua Sapucaí. You go there, talk with locals, and end the day with a recap of your moments.

Lucas, 25, starts a life in the hilly neighborhood of Santa Tereza. He writes two goals on his list: meet other musicians and visit every park in the city.

In week one, Lucas searches for Praça Duque de Caxias and goes to a corner bar, or boteco, every evening. The neighbors have weekday and weekend routines, and they start to remember his stories. In week two, a neighbor adds Lucas to a group text thread and invites him to Mercado Novo.

In week three, a pickup game appears at Parque Municipal Américo Renné Giannetti, and Lucas joins. Each person keeps a journal of past events and remembers the month.

Belo Horizonte is a center for mining, steel, software development, and biotechnology. Big employers in the city include Vale, Gerdau, Usiminas, Localiza, Cemig, Banco Inter, and Google. Many people also work as researchers at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, or UFMG, and PUC Minas.

To get a job in LifeSim, write it into your character text when you start. You can be a mining geologist, a programmer in the San Pedro Valley startup scene, or a bartender. There is no career ladder or job performance score, and you shape your work life through your daily to-do list and chats.