High cost of living in SP and how to economize

Thank you very much for the response Robal.  Sorry to hear that James passed away.  He was a very good source of information.

Thanks Robal, I was thinking about getting a position at the US Consulate where I would have definite preference, as I'm a retired veteran, and the US government has to hire veterans before anyone else.  The only problem is that my wife's house is on the northeast side of Sao Paulo, and the Consulate is on the southwest side.   

And thanks for your service!

robal

No problem.   I'm not going to insult your intelligence, and tell you that my motives were all altruistic.  Because of the military, I was able to get my bachelor's degree in Business Mgt.  But, that didn't require staying as long as I did.  I enjoyed what I did, and I enjoyed serving my country.  As for the distance between Vila Gustavo and the US Consulate, there's nothing that says we can't consider moving a little closer.  My wife has said that the English schools that pay better salaries are in the area surrounding the Consulate as well.