Which city is more expensive, Sao Paulo or Rio De Janeiro?

[Mr.Falcon]

Originally Posted by IHitTheHighNotes

I'm going to be self employed and I'm not an avid beach goer. My philosophy with beaches is, you've seen one you've seen them all. The women, food, and reasonable rent are my main concerns/interests.

It sounds that you would be more comfortable in a medium size city. Rio and São Paulo are among the most expensive cities in Brazil.

Originally Posted by Repubocrat

I guess, people see and perceive different things but in my opinion, Belo Horizonte has absolutely nothing to do with Chicago!

At least in this sentence I must totally agree with you

[Mr.Falcon]

Take a look at Itajaí, Florianópolis... It's a very interesting area.

[IHitTheHighNotes]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

When I was living in Sao Paulo, I was in my late 20s, and I quite liked that as well. Definitely the largest variety.

It's also quite close to Rio, I think it was 6 hours by bus, if I recall? Maybe 4 hours? Can't recall exactly, but not that far by Brazilian standards. In short, easy to see both quickly, and make a decision on the fly shortly upon arrival.

Rio had a slight higher mulatto feel, just slight.

Sao Paulo had a ton of Japanese, over a million, I think? I think Sao Paulo is over 20 million people, so about 1 in 20 sounds like it could be possible. However, they were a bit elusive. There is an area called Liberdade which is the heart of the Japanese community. But, it's kind of like going to San Francisco's Chinatown to meet girls...in that, it's just NOT easy to meet girls there, by doing that. In general, I dont know where they went, but they didnt go to many clubs and bars that I used to go to.

I quite liked Sao Paulo a lot, for the diversity, but it's definitely more expensive than other cities. Taking the subway metro, cost almost US$2 everytime you get on. That's an example.

There is an airline promotion by one of the Brazilian airline companies, that allows a person to travel in something like 5-7 cities for a very reasonable price. Basically designed for tourists from outside the country, to be able to organize a good trip around to see the massiveness of the country.

I would suggest looking into something like that, get a feel for about 5-7 cities, and you'll just KNOW what feels right. Each city in Brazil is uniquely different with their ethnic makeups. What one sees in Sao Paulo, will be completely different in Salvador, which would be completely different in Rio, which would be completely different In Goianas. The ethnic diversity is so rich, you might even know what appeals to you most until you see it. I mean, I'm thinking of solely from an attraction standpoint to locals. Each city does its own vibe as well.

Thanks for all the great info again.

Originally Posted by Repubocrat

You should consider Natal. My parents built a retirement home near Natal and they really like it there. It is probably one of the regions of Brazil with the highest number of foreigners per capita

Also, Natal is a lot safer than Fortaleza, Recife or Salvador.

This thread has gotten a little long, but I'm nowhere near retiring age, and I'm moving to Brazil to be around Brazilians, not people that are foreigners to Brazil (Americans).

Originally Posted by Mr.Falcon

Take a look at Itajaí, Florianópolis... It's a very interesting area.

Nope! For reasons I've already mentioned.