Living in Fortaleza

Welcome on Expat.com Denson

I have introduced your message in a new thread (in Fortaleza forum) for more visibility! I hope that you will get some responses soon in regards to your above queries!

Regards

Hi there!
I am in exactly the same situation as you.  My Brazilian wife and I own a couple of rentals in Fortaleza, one a tourist rental.
Drop a line and we'll talk.
andy@andyneill.com or call 8684.5245.
Regards,
Andy

Hi there!
I think I may have answered your post or one just like it previously.
I have lived in Fortaleza since 2004 and my Brazilian wife and I own rental properties here.
It's no problem really but you have to know something about how Brazilians operate.  If you are married to one, then that will most likely work for you.
Of course it's easier to live in the same area.
One of our rentals is close and the other farther away, in the area where my wife was brought up, but she knows it well and so no problem.
Andy Neill
Fortaleza, Brazil

hi

I am from India and i have stayed in fortaleza in the past,  I would say fortaleza is nice tourist city with lot of good beaches. However its not eay to find english speaking poeple.

Make sure you buy or rent your property in a good and safe locality. I would suggest Meirless area are somewhat safe.

Regards
Partha

Hi there!
I live in Fortaleza and deal with people either just visiting or wanting to relocate.
You are correct that Meireles, where I also live, is the safest and best area, but there might be other options depending on the client's needs and resources.
You are also correct that there are not a lot of English speaking people around, but after being here for 8 years, I know quite a few and can make introductions.
Andy Neill
Fortaleza Adventure

Hello everyone writing on this particular post.  I am very upset.  Let me explain.  I live in Paraguay and we often go to Floripa Brasil on vacation.  I kind of dream of having a summer home in Brasil (it will never happen but oh well).  Well, I have noticed that Fortaleza is near the equator and so the temp is a constant for most of the year.  That appeals to me.  I have often thought how cool it would be to live there.

So I was excited when my buddy told me him and his family were going on vacation in Fortaleza for 2 weeks. I was all excited to hear about what it was like.

Here is where it gets disappointing.  He just got back and told me the first day his backpack was stolen right off the beach with him and his son sitting right next to it.  then he proceeded to tell me how dangerous it was there.  Much worse he said then here, which is hard to believe.  He said you can't wear any jewelry, you can't walk around at night, you have to be observant at all times.  he said some friends he meant wouldn't let anyone walk alone from the parking lot to the restaurant!  he also said that little stores, for example a beauty shop, will have one gate to let people in, then they will lock that door and have to open up another gate, then lock that adn open the door that goes into the store.  so like a little "safe area" i guess.  Car thefts happen all the time.  Including car jackings.  He said the vacation was bittersweet.

In my naivety I pictured any tourist city in Brasil like Florianopolis (yeah i know there is population difference). Boy what a letdown, i am seriously disappointed.  and also some of the people they meant there told them that it is even worse in Recife!  i can't even imagine then what it is like in Rio.  In fact I was planning on a trip with my bro and his wife to Rio to just say that i have been there.  Not no more!

If anyone who actually lives in Fortaleza can tell me more about what it is like crime wise i would appreciate it.

Hi there!
I posted a long reply to this post but it never appeared.
Your friend is exaggerating a lot!
I've been living here for 8 years and have never had any of the problems he says he encountered.
The things he says happened, for instance his backpack being stolen, could have happened anywhere and we really don't know the circumstances.  It could have been some distance away and perhaps they weren't really looking after it.
In any big city, like New York, for example, if you're wallking on Fifth Avenue, you shouldn't be wearing fancy necklaces or watches...people get mugged all the time on the main streets of big cities wearing stuff like that.
I have had a car since I got here and it's never been touched...the stereo is still intact...but I take the faceplate off and put it in the glove box as do most people.  That's why they are built like that.
If you have a very expensive car or SUV, then you take a chance anywhere.  You just have to be careful where you park.
I have not heard of any carjackings lately here at all...not that they have never happened but they are not at all common.
You just have to use common sense, as you would anywhere in the world or in any big city.
There is no reason to be so paranoid.
Take normal precautions.
But I will tell you that the small percentage of the residents who have a LOT of money, don't normally look like they have money, and that's the key.
You should dress the way the locals do and not be flashy or try and stick out.  Wear an ordinary watch and not flashy stuff on your neck or wrist.

Hi Redwingpy,

I don't live in Fortaleza, but I have been living in Brazil for over ten year in a number of different cities and I have to agree completely with Aneill. Crimes happen in every city, not just in Fortaleza or any Brazilian city. I bet Asuncion has its share of crime too.

One must take basic precautions anywhere they travel or live, that's just common sense. If you want to know what you should do to be safe in Brazil (or anywhere for that matter) read my posting "A Gringo's Survival Guide for Brazil" at the top of the first forum page. (or click on the link below)

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=107384

As I say I've lived here for over ten years and I have never had any problems. Your friend clearly was not taking the precautions that are mentioned in my guide or the theft of his backpack would not have happened. Did he expect DISNEYLAND??? Fortaleza is like any major Brazilian city, no place is 100% safe, the best you can hope for is to improve your odds of avoiding certain situations by using your head.

Don't judge Fortaleza based on what happened in one isolated case, especially since your friend neglected to take precautions that were so obvious. I have lived in Manaus, São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Porto Seguro and now live in Macaé RJ and I have visited many other cities, they are all wonderful places to visit or live if you don't make yourself the target of crime.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog

Amen!
I have been here in Fortaleza for 8 years and don't intend to leave.
I deal with people coming here for the first time through my company Fortaleza Adventure and I have to school them on what to do and not do and for the most part if they follow the advice gathered during my time here and from the experience of others, they will be safe.
One client of mine, a fellow from Australia, would not take that advice and insisted on living in a beach area outside the city in an apartment without the normal security.
He and his Brazilian girlfriend were relieved of all electronics at gunpoint.
This would not have happened if he had been in a safe area but where he was and with all the modern stuff like laptops, tablets, digital cameras and cellphones, he left himself wide open to something bad happening.
Andy

You are absolutely right about been disappointed. Fortaleza its one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Im back after 16 years (last 9 of them living in London where i felt pretty safe) and i panic every time i have to leave home, I had to learn how to live like the locals, carrying in the car 2 bags (on for the thief), 2 phones.. It's a sad reality.

fabulousfabi wrote:

You are absolutely right about been disappointed. Fortaleza its one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Im back after 16 years (last 9 of them living in London where i felt pretty safe) and i panic every time i have to leave home, I had to learn how to live like the locals, carrying in the car 2 bags (on for the thief), 2 phones.. It's a sad reality.

HI everybody. I was born in Rio and I'm here in Fortaleza for more than 15 years. It's one of the best cities to live in the world (I also lived abroad for quite some time). Don't get me wrong, but if you live on a palace, please don't panic and just don't go anywhere else. As simple as that. Anything else is pure sensational stuff.