Question about living in Rj (de Janeiro)

Move to Santa Catarina florianopolis is Lees Lees crime very niche area and the people more friendly

Werner, I already know Floripa. It is very nice, pleasant and peaceful. Yes, very low crime. But it's a small town and a Car is needed if you want any freedom or privacy. Also, Santa Catarina is very cold in winter, too cold for me. Also, the people seem reserved and standoffish. It could take a few years to form reliable friendships and I am 60, I don't have time to prove to anyone I am not a criminal. I like Fortaleza, Joao Pessoa, maybe Recife. Barra da Tijuca fits my desires but I'm feeling stress living in Rj. Niteroi nd Camboinhas is a very nice area and low cost of living and the locals (Cariocas) are much less pretentious than Rj ... Undecided.

My mother in-law lives in Rio. We are there now visiting.  l have been traveling to Brazil more than 20 years now. Rio has always had it’s problems, but from what l can see it’s even worse now.

My mother in-law has always been a staunch defender of the ”Cidade maravilhosa” but now even she is considering moving. People getting robbed right outside her apartment waiting on the bus.

Speaking for myself, no way in hell I would consider living in this city much less investing money.

Brazil has so many better places to live.

Do not hesitate ! go back to USA - impossible to live in peace wherever you’ll stay in Brasil.  Moreover Brazilian do not care about ecology and they use the ocean as a sewer. Rio is a perfect example of this mess, such a pity, cidade Demaravilhosa, baia da Guanabara, o maior esgoto da America do sul.

@Xpat-Forever

praias de Florianopolis

Praia do Jardim Atlântico

Frente à Rua Elesbão Pinto da Luz

Praia do Balneário

Em Frente à Rua José Cândido da

Silva

Praia do Matadouro

Belmira Isabel Martins

Praia da Saudade

Canto Esquerdo da Praia

Praia do Meio

No Meio da Praia

Praia do Itaguau

Imprópria

Imprópria

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Própria

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I think I would avoid most, if not all, large cities anywhere in Brazil if you want a more simple, less stressful life.  They may not have Michelin starred restaurants, top wine bars, etc, but there are some smaller beach towns and cities (particularly in the NE) that really can offer you a great lifestyle - and at a much lower cost...

09/28/23 @Xpat-Forever.  Best of luck with your latest life transition.

With your personal life in flux and important questions whether you even want to continue to be an "expat forever", this may not be the best time to hang the boat anchor of a new real estate commitment around your neck, particularly in a city where you already have misgivings.   Freedom of action is your friend.

On alternatives to consider,  Vitória continues to be my #1 go-to selection for excellent quality of life, coastal beauty,wonderful cuisine, and still the benefits of living in the Southeast.   Farther afield, I second @Peter Itamaraca's suggestion of the Northeast.  Particularly in the smaller capitals  - Aracaju, Maceió, João Pessoa - the combination of climate, lifestyle, and cost of living is hard to beat.

Good luck.

@Xpat-Forever  I guess either I am too old or not lived in Brazil long enough. I had to look up "Malandragem" . I totally agree with @Peter Itamaraca. This is something you may experience, sometimes in abundance, in the larger cities. I live in Parazino which is a small village of 2,500 about 20 minutes from Jeracoacoara. i think the Florianopolis suggestion is good, unless you really wanted small village life.

As far as  going back to the USA. I agree with most of the Expat's and would add that you may have not thought of it yet, but not having that STRETCH MY MONEY, PLEASE exchange rate will be missed the minute you step off the plane.

Roddie in Retirement

Well the farther South you travel, the less approachable local folks are..   

If you want to risk into higher crime areas, the farther North is your oyster.  Friendly, approachable, but watch your purse!

A rather  compromising option  would be to consider Santos-SP ( pop just over 400,000 ) on your list.  The city has a sizeable retiree community, and a number of English Speaking folks live there.

Also, being a trading seaport, there are good chances you will find people to actually socialize, wether you are at the lunch counter by the residential beachfront, or on the other side of the Monserrat Tunnel, by the piers ( Valongo-Historic Downtown ).

The city, if you seek for value, has a relatively low cost of living ( groceries, utilities, decent housing accomodations ).

Santos folk embrace a slower pace of life.

It has a public Hospital ( Santa Casa de Misericordia ) as a last resort option if you are going broke, and you can always climb a bus on an hour long trip to the ABC Region or Sampa for your routine medical evaluation, and quality Health Care facilities.   

The only downside to Santos would be the beaches water quality not be as good, and dealing with the high season vacationers.  And those lard loaded beauties sunbathing on skimpy outfits. Cariocas would put them to shame.

Appreciate all the feedback but still undecided.

South Brasil is a No Go. Way to conservative even if I am far right politically. Northeast is the only option if Rj continues to be a struggle to live. I hope to take a Bus tour from Segipe to Fortaleza ... Vitoria looks interesting, never been there. Barra da Tijuca checks off most boxes but it's a fast life, heavy traffic and the carioca malandragem ... you can't escape it.

    South Brasil is a No Go. Way to conservative even if I am far right politically. Northeast is the only option if Rj continues to be a struggle to live. I hope to take a Bus tour from Segipe to Fortaleza ... Vitoria looks interesting, never been there. Barra da Tijuca checks off most boxes but it's a fast life, heavy traffic and the carioca malandragem ... you can't escape it.
   

    -@Xpat-Forever

If you are going to travel Sergipe to Fortaleza, there are lots of great little beach cities and towns on the way (as well a couple of bigger ones to avoid!). Maybe you will have time to pop in and see us here on our little island - search Itamaraca tourism for more information. But it may be a little too laid back here for you, if you like the big city life, lights, etc...

09/29/23    South Brasil is a No Go. Way to conservative even if I am far right politically. Northeast is the only option if Rj continues to be a struggle to live. I hope to take a Bus tour from Segipe to Fortaleza ... Vitoria looks interesting, never been there. Barra da Tijuca checks off most boxes but it's a fast life, heavy traffic and the carioca malandragem ... you can't escape it.
   

    -@Xpat-Forever

A bus tour from Sergipe to Fortaleza is a great idea!  You'll see some of the best that Brazil has to offer.   I spent my first years in Brazil in Aracaju and am not shy about saying that little Sergipe is my favorite state - o meu coração é sergipano - but all of the states on your route are underappreciated treasures.

I hope that you'll do it, and if you do, I hope that you'll  post about your experiences here.

I live in Rio in Copacabana. On and of for almost 20 years now. Don't have a problem with anything personally, I love it there, but, we are all individuals, so, you gotta do something, right ?

Don't know for the life of me why on earth you'd want to move to Barra though. All those "emergente" middle class whiners living in their "Bangu Rico" prison condos.

Move to the NE........Natal........Porto Seguro.........Arrail d'Ajuda....even closer to Rio like perhaps Cabo Frio........

@Xpat-Forever Well @abthree and @Peter Itamaraca  are correct. As I mentioned I do live in a small village in the Northeast. That is because my wife of 23 years used to live in Fortaleza and then moved to where her family lives. When I met her over 20 years ago Fortaleza was a much cleaner and less graffiti-ridden large city.

My suggestion is the same as the other North Easterners, but as you take the bus ride see if you can find a great location before you get to Fortaleza, Fortaleza  may remind you of the things you don't like in Rio.

Roddie in Retirement

A rule of thumb for living in coastal communities, and this applies even to Rio....

Seek out neighbohroods farther  outside the beach front area.  And in Rio, I am not alluding to Sao Conrado/Barra da Tijuca.   

Your proletarian enclave sometimes holds better value, and you are insulated from seasonal price hikes. 

Using Rio de Janeiro as template, it means..

Skip Leblon / Copacabana / Ipanema / Barra da Tijuca / Botafogo  in lieu of...

Madureira

Urca ( at the hills of the Sugar Loaf, if you crave an waterfront exclusive enclave away from Tourists)

Downtown  ( great upside if you plan to invest , as the area is cheap and ripe for gentrification )

Santa Teresa

Lapa

Bangu ( near the old textile mill )

Marechal Hermes

Campo Limpo

Andarai