Best cities for retirement in Brazil

After traveling many regions in Brasil I found the beauty of nature and laid back life n Foz do Iguacu. With one of the 7 World Heritage sites as Foz do Iguacu Falls ad near 3 border counties.
Housing and cost of living is inexpensive (except for high end electronics) I found I can live comfortable in Foz.
Now I have not found many expats here, but all are friendly. It took awhile to develop friends.
But many do speak English ince it is the 2nd largest tourist destination in Brasil. Once you develop relationships with banks and stores it made life even better.
Having an international airport makes I easy to go to Curitiba, SP, Rio and other cities in Brasil as well as a direct light to Lima with connections to the world.
Everyone has different lifestyles and I do recommend traveling through out Brasil to find a place which fits.
Living in the sub tropics gets you all seasons to enjoy.

I agree with Texanbrazil:  the best idea is to travel around and see different regions for yourself.
I like sunshine and beaches with coconut palms, so my recommendation would be any of the smaller capitals in the Northeast:  Natal, João Pessoa, Macéio, or Aracaju.  The pace of life is relaxed, the cost of living is low, the weather is great (assuming you like it warm 12 months a year), transportation to the rest of the country is good, and at least one of the big cities of Salvador, Recife and Fortaleza is within easy reach.
I live in Manaus currently, and I like it a lot.  Amazonia is a fascinating place, and well worth visiting.  Honestly, though, we live here mainly because of my husband's family (native Manauara) and university; when he graduates, we'll probably be moving, most likely to the Southeast, for professional reasons.
Brazil's retirement visa was eliminated in the 2017 reform of the immigration laws, so it's no longer viable as a purely retirement option.  Residence visas are still possible for investors, however.

As usual, I would say, you need to balance the retiree lifestyle against the ammenities a golden age person needs.

I would definetively recommend these cities
-Sao Caetano do Sul - Retirees with more than two years of declared residence are entitled to quality free health care.  It help the city is next to Sao Paulo, a rail and train hop away.   The has virtually no slums ( it lacks land for them to fester ).

-Campinas and satellite cities. Like Holambra, Sumare, Indaiatuba, Jundiai, Valinhos, Vinhedo. Quality universities and a decent health care system.

-Santo Andre-  Quality health care.  City's health care sponsored send folks to see after their elderly population.  Mostly Social workers.   

Santos - If you want to live on the shoreline, this is an interesting place to live, and you are within reach to better resort towns.   Santos is mostly a trading port type of city, I would not call their waterfront pristine, but far from being shaby. There is a surplus of cheap real estate, this is a place you can score on the cheap, as many distressed Paulistanos sell off their holdings when the economy sours.   The Oil Town dreams went bust.  The old downtown part of the city, or the Historic Coffee Trade District by the Port is worth for the enterprising retiree who could profit from turning the place around. 


Ribeirao Preto - Decent health care, thanks to the Public local University that sponoros a Teaching Hospital, overall great quality of life. Dry and hot type of place.   Summers are scorchers.   

Piracicaba - Quaint place. They have a renowed Methodist University there that sponsors Health Care, Sports. 

Sao Jose dos Campos - Aviation town.  That is where Embraer is.  Good quality of life, hospitals. Prosper.   

Taubate. Another Great city on Paraiba's Valley.

Brazil for me has been very good. I have some bad news for people who want to retire here. If you don’t have a business or married to a Brazilian. They eliminated the retirement program so if you have a income you can’t get a permanent visa here anymore. The good news is they have open for tourists visa to US there is no requirement visa to visit up to 90 days. I not sure if the total is still 6 months with renewal at Federal Police. The other question if after 6 months you can’t return for at least 6 months. There are many place here florianopolis is one place a lot of people recommend. I been there my daughter live there I am married to a Brazilian have Permanent Residency

I have retired here in Brazil.  It has been good.  The people treat me well.  The money exchange has been good.  I've been here ten years.  I am raising goats and chickens.  Know one here speaks English.  I speak some Portuguese.  My wife is Brazilian.  She likes to keep a leach on me.  It is expensive to fly around the country.  Sao Francisco de Itabopoana is were I live.  I like it a lot.  It is growing. I just hope the city government doesn't start passing crazy laws like in America.

Well different folks, different expectations.  I
do not know or care much about Bahia. Unless you live in Salvador or Camacari, there aren't many career options, so I've been told.

Timely topic. Yesterday I wrote to a friend in the US about the advantages of retiring in Brasil. While this topic seems to be more about where in Brasil to retire, it is also worthwhile to talk about why to choose Brasil for retirement. 

I was unaware that Brasil had eliminated the permanant Visa for retirees. Seems rather counter productive.  Things do change frequently here, the free baggage allowance might be coming back so hopefully the retirement Visa will as well.

I chose Rio, initially based on the abundance of international flights as I frequently traveled back and forth to the US while settling into retirement. The weather in Rio is not suitable for everyone,  but I have acclimated and find it quite comfortable with occasional exceptions during Summer when the heat and humidity is at its highest. 

I was amazed at how moderate levels of sunshine each day really do have a positive psychological  and overall healthy effect. Weather here almost never prevents a daily walk along the beach. Some find Rio weather too warm and humid, I have managed to acclimate without ever using air conditioning.  It can be done!

Healthcare is a key issue for retirees everywhere. Certainly no Mayo Clinic level of healthcare exists in Rio but  overall my experience has been that by using a private healthcare insurer it is definitely adequate. One major benefit in Brasil is private healthcare insurance premiums are capped at age 60, and at a price significantly below US healthcare costs or premiums. I  have lost count of the number of Brasilian doctors I have visited who were educated in the US and/or speak fluent English.  Rio has a large selection of specialized doctors available through private healthcare insurance,  but not so much with respect to the public healthcare system. 

Rio also has a year round selection of fresh fruits and vegetables impossible to duplicate where I have lived in the US. And at comparatively low cost. Avoiding the bad eating habits of many Brasilians is key to a healthy lifestyle for anyone, no matter where you choose to retire.

Rio is also a major world wide tourist destination. That means friends and relatives are able to visit and enjoy not just your company but also enjoy a variety of cultural  experiences and facilities. 

Street crime is an issue in Rio, no matter what part of the City you may choose to live in. Even in Ipanema or Leblon, two of the most expensive places to live in all of Brasil, it is not uncommon to hear gunfire at any time of day or night.

I am  looking to retire in Brazil?

- What are the best cities to retire in Brazil
- What makes them attractive cities for retirees

Robbdoo
All depends on what you want in retirement. I traveled around BR, AR, Chile and other countries. I was looking for relaxed and laid back. Would have picked SC state for beach, but was expensive and was not sure as to health care.
Instead after a couple trips to Curitiba and Foz do Iguacu. Curitiba had the health care and I bought a condo. Had a lot to do and see, but traffic I was tired of in the US and worse in Curitiba and it did get cold in the winter.
I decided to retire in Foz. It has the natural beauty of the Falls (One of the 7 World Heritage) tropical climate (although it's dang cold today), minutes away to Argentina and has a direct flight Lima, SP, Rio, Curitiba and other cities for travel.
I was lucky and found friends which spoke English, but it is hard to finda "network" of other expats.
Cost of living is inexpensive, but not a lot of things and items found in North America.
There are many regulations, laws and policies in Brazil which will make you feel like it is going to be difficult. Language is the hardest thing to over come. I can live under the amount I receive for retirement so saving and more travel comes easy.
I recommend to travel in Brazil for way you may enjoy. This is a land with different cultures and one city may be totally different than another.
State/Gov health care is different and old not rely. So private insurance, in my opinion, is a must and good hospitals.
Now the banking system is totally different and be sure to have funds in your present country and knowing how to transfer funds into Brazil.

I am a woman married to a Brazilian woman and we have a place in Campos Do Jordao in SP state. It is a beautiful touristic area in the mountains and about two hours from Ubatuba beaches and 2 hours from GRU airport. I haven't spent nearly  enough time there as yet, but moving there is in our plans, especially as winter settles in here in Wisconsin. Close to interesting towns, beautiful mountain vistas and cost of living doesn't seem unreasonable. I don't speak Portuguese and am not certain if there is a significant English speaking population there as it is far enough out of metropolitan SP to be a little more rustic. I'd be interested in communication with others from the region, and am happy to answer any questions about it.

Hi, I'm trying to establish contact with an English-speaking kiteboarder in Fortaleza. Any advice is appreciated,Bruno

Hi. Does anyone know in what cities they have Chess Clubs? Near the ocean? That's a big part of my decision on where to live. I'm from the US

THANKS

This is the Chess Club of Sao Paulo

https://www.cxsp.com.br/

R. Araújo, 154 – 3º andar

República, São Paulo - SP

Tel: (11) 3259-6442 | contato@cxsp.com.br

This is the Country's Chess Body

http://www.cbx.org.br/

These are the tournaments held past 12 months

http://www.cbx.org.br/torneios

Fortaleza is a seaside State Capital.

https://xadrezcearense.wordpress.com/

There's one in Pernambuco, however the site is unsafe.

Recife and Olinda as coastal towns.

Rio de Janeiro's Chess governing body.

https://www.fexerj.org.br/  ( link is suspect )

https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federa%C3 … de_Janeiro

Chess is Xadrez

Good luck figuring it out.

@Bhavna, I represent the very, very small village of Parazinho near Granja. We have a population of under 2,500. I am sure you received responses from people in all the luxurious resourceful big cities, so this is the exact opposite. The reason I am here is that my wife of 22yrs was born here. I am also 30 minutes away from Jericoacoara, one of the most beautiful beach areas in the world.

The fact though is that I did not want to move from a comfortable big city in the USA to a comfortable big city in Brazil. Here my neighbor has bulls, chickens, pigs, dogs and apparently today horses. It is fun to watch my dog and my wife's dog bark and herd the bulls from the Community Park she built every morning. We live in a very farm like community with lots and lots of land. I have to say everyone has their preferences, but if I wanted the same lifestyle in the U.S. in Brazil, I would have stayed in the U.S.

Although, I keep tabs thanx to streaming NBC news and the NBC4 app which tells me what the weather as well as the crime, issues etc. are in my old hometown.

Now if I could just get rid of the Lottery Patrol that rolls through town with loudspeakers and a "you could win this car" strapped to the top of the truck

Roddie in Retirement

Hello Roddie,

Thank you for taking the time to post such a detailed feedback ^^ I guess Parazinho will be attracting some newcomers now !!

I did get some response from members about major cities but also some less popular regions/villages.

Glad you have found your little piece of paradise.

All the very best

Bhavna