Coming to Brazil from Southwest Florida - Mixed feelings

I will be back to Brasil as soon my retirement until I get all the paperwork I need and could be sooner, about your experience, any city in this world has this kind of situation, off course some have more than others but still the same, the only difference will be our own feelings, some people from USA have been in Brasil and don’t have any problems at all, off course the people  there have different social ways compared with USA.

10/06/26 @CATVLYST Music.  Urban decay in the central areas of major Brazilian cities is more an effect of the general Brazilian tendency to neglect basic maintenance and the fact that the economy has been in a fragile condition for some years now, especially since the pandemic, than it is of the deeper social pathologies that seem to worry you.  There ARE dangerous areas in any city, but you won't have to live in a city long before you have a pretty good idea of where not to go.  Until then, trust your gut:  if you feel uncomfortable somewhere, get to somewhere else where you feel safer at a deliberate speed, and don't second-guess yourself.  Keep in mind that, at least during the day on any street with reasonably good foot traffic, you don't have to come across as the baddest badass in town; you just have to look like someone who's aware of his surroundings, not showing signs of ostentatious wealth, and has the potential to be someone that it's more trouble than it's worth to mess with.

Fortaleza IS a wonderful, if somewhat dilapidated city; the beaches on the east side of town should be to your liking and pretty far from the rundown areas.  Beyond Jericoacoara (which you already know) there are still vast beaches in Ceará and Maranhão to explore, with Piauí's 66 km of coastline between them.

Natal's reputation for public safety is not good, and you already seem to have picked up bad vibes there.  João Pessoa, the capital of Paraíba and the next capital around the "bulge" of South America, is very different and a delightful place.  I'm not a surfer, but the surf on the east coast of Brazil -- from João Pessoa on -- has a reputation for being "mushier" than that of the north coast.  If that doesn't bother you too much, you'll find a lot to attract you. 

The Pernambuco coast centered on Recife is very nice but has a reputation for shark attacks, port developments having permanently disrupted some important shark migration routes.  I'm sorry to hear about the beach pollution in Maceió -- that's very bad news.  Maceió is also having a major subsidence crisis, with whole neighborhoods suddenly sinking because of the collapse of old salt mines that were excavated under them with insufficient attention to security.

Aracaju, the capital of Sergipe, the next state down the coast, is even safer and (for my money) even friendlier than Maceió.  Cost of living is low.  It's Brazil's second purpose-built state capital -- after Teresina, Piauí and before Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais -- so there aren't many colonial relics, although there are some colonial cities nearby.  Because of the rivers that meet the Atlantic in Sergipe, the ocean water is cloudier than you see in Maceió.

Below Sergipe comes Bahia, which is a world unto itself and well worth exploring.  The state has over 1000 km of coast, including the breathtaking Bay of All Saints.  Bahia is the same size as France, so there's much more to it than its coast, but its coast is impressive.  Salvador is the capital, and the cradle of Brazilian, and especially Afro-Brazilian, Culture.

And hidden between Bahia, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro is what I consider to be Brazil's best-kept secret, the state of Espírito Santo.  It's a small state that's often overlooked, and the Capixabas, the people who live there, like it that way.  The coast is beautiful, similar to Rio de Janeiro´s, the interior is mountainous and gorgeous, it's easy to get around, cost of living is reasonable, and the local cuisine is delicious.

If you're serious about Brazil, I would encourage you to get some formal training in Portuguese, and not to attempt to pick it up through osmosis.  Your knowledge of Spanish will come in handy in identifying vocabulary (in spite of the many false cognates), but will get you more and more tangled up on both phonetics and grammar without a base of professional instruction to lean on.

For all its advantages, the Digital Nomad visa is not a visa that normally leads to permanent residence, so you should be aware of that coming in.  That doesn't matter for the first two years, but afterwards if that becomes a consideration for you, you'll need to find a status that leads to residency.

Any questions, that what we're here for.  All the best!

@CATVLYST Music

It seems like you have some of the same concerns and the same dilemma as many expats who choose to live in places outside of the more stable Western culture countries. And even in those places their level of social unrest, political unrest, corruption, economic issues all are the reality of life that hits you in the face no matter where you are.

I am in the Philippines which has some parallel issues to the ones you mentioned on both the good side and the bad side. My suspicion is that it's safer here but there may be some corruption. There are places with infrastructure concerns especially for a full-time remote worker.

I think in the end you have to weigh the trade off between the things that you like the things you enjoy against your safety and the conveniences that may be available from that beautiful house on the beach.

And there's also the cost.  I suspect Brazil may be very attractive from a cost standpoint and it's nice being that close to the US. But I still think it all comes down to the balance between your inner peace and happiness, the risk of where you are.the acceptance of the situation and culture where you choose to find that happiness.

@abthree

I'm very interested in exploring Espiritu Santo as well. I have been to just about every state on the coast with the exception of Sergipe and that one. Salvador I did enjoy spending some time in last year, around the Farol do Barra neighborhood, but the more inland I went, the less pleasant it became. Joao Pessoa I also know fairly well but it didn't really click with me as a place to live, although it is certainly safer and cleaner than Recife, Natal or Fortaleza.

There are maybe three neighborhoods in Fortaleza I think are manageable to stay in as a foreigner, the rest appear upsettingly impoverished, extremely dirty and poorly maintained. I recently went to Morro Branco and I loved the scenery there, although there was no activity in the town.

The Jatiuca neighborhood of Maceio was the closest thing to what I was looking for, but the pollution unfortunately killed it for me. Especially after I smelled like a sewer after surfing.

Regardless, it is interesting to explore all of this to see what's a good fit. I may include Espiritu Santo in another trip sometime down the line when work allows.

@CATVLYST Music

Hi, I've visited many of the areas in the NE part of Brazil that you mentioned. I live, however in Belo Horizonte. No beaches here.  I grew up in Brooklyn NY but spent most of my life in South Florida. Although we were 5 minutes drive to the beach there, we never went much, so I don't miss it. I retired here 6 years ago but had visited yearly for over 20 years. I had no problem getting permanent residency since I've been married to a Brazilian woman for many years. 

I never learned Spanish so Portuguese doesn't get mixed up with it for me.

If you have any questions, you can PM me if you like.

@johnsonlfisher

I also notice that as priorities change, you might find places more or less appealing than you used to. When I was 23, I started traveling and was most interested in having a vibrant social scene in places I visited. Now I value peace and comfort more. I used to think I would end up buying property in Medellin, but unfortunately that place changed drastically for the worse after covid. I've since been looking for a similar sort of atmosphere as the old Laureles, which I haven't really found in Brazil.

I don't think there is such thing as a utopia but I'm starting to feel like the Northeastern cities aren't really for me long term. I'm back in Fortaleza now to catch my flight back to Miami and have gotten sick a second time here, which I attribute to the lack of cleanliness

10/08/26 @tiomark.  I only mentioned coastal cities to @CATVLYST Music because that was the original request, but Belo Horizonte is one of my very favorite cities, and doesn't lose a thing by being inland.  You've chosen well.  In fact, we were about to move to BH earlier this year when the move fell apart on the business day before we were expecting the movers to pack us, but I'm always quick to recommend BH to anyone who isn't determined to be near salt water. 😃

BTW, I've never learned Spanish, either, and the reason was to keep it from damaging  my Portuguese.  I've observed that in cases where one conflicts with the other it's generally the Portuguese that suffers, and that wasn't a risk that I was willing to run. 

You should visit Joao Pessoa and Porto Seguro, and maybe go gurther south to the city of Saquarema for the amazing surfing. Some of the smaller locales in the nearby region of Porto Seguro like Trancoso and Arrail d'Ajuda might work for you too.