Pros and Cons of Living in Rio de Janeiro

What are the pros and cons of living in Rio de Janeiro?

Expats, digital nomads and retirees living in Rio de Janeiro responded:

"Expats and digital nomads generally like the following aspects of living in Rio de Janeiro: 1. Beautiful scenery: Rio de Janeiro is known for its stunning landscapes, including the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain, Christ the Redeemer statue, and the famous Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. 2. Vibrant culture: Rio offers a rich cultural experience, with its lively music scene, colorful festivals, and friendly locals. 3. Outdoor activities: The city provides numerous opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts, such as hiking, surfing, and beach volleyball. 4. Affordable cost of living: Compared to other major cities, Rio de Janeiro offers a relatively low cost of living, making it an attractive destination for expats and digital nomads. 5. Diverse food scene: Rio boasts a wide variety of delicious local and international cuisine, including Brazilian barbecue, fresh seafood, and exotic fruits. However, there are also some aspects that expats and digital nomads may dislike about living in Rio de Janeiro: 1. Safety concerns: Rio has a high crime rate, and safety can be a significant concern for expats and digital nomads, especially in certain neighborhoods. 2. Traffic and public transportation: The city is notorious for its traffic congestion, and the public transportation system can be unreliable and overcrowded. 3. Language barrier: While English is spoken in tourist areas, it is less common in other parts of the city, which can make daily life challenging for those who do not speak Portuguese. 4. Pollution and cleanliness: Rio de Janeiro struggles with pollution, particularly in its waterways, and some areas of the city can be quite dirty. 5. Infrastructure and bureaucracy: The city's infrastructure can be lacking in some areas, and dealing with Brazilian bureaucracy can be frustrating and time-consuming for expats and digital nomads," said one expat in living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"It is absolutely not useful for anyone to compare Brazil to the United States so I won't. I like living here and am in a very lucky situation. Although there are distinct disadvantages to living here mostly related to convenience, life here is excellent. It's a beautiful place. It's easy to travel by car or air when there is no pandemic. I love photography so it's a paradise in some ways. I'd love to build a homestead but I'm afraid the wife is a city girl so that's probably not in the cards. Maybe a weekend place where I could do a garden? On the downside, it can be uncomfortable to confront certain types of ignorance that are, for the most part, no fault of the ignorant ones. You have to understand where you are and that you have not had to live through what these folks have had to live through. They are conditioned just like anybody gets conditioned by their upbringing. They're mostly good hearted so if you want a laundry list of complaints, I'm not going to give it. If you want to find good here, they have it in spades. If you want to gritch and gripe, you'll have plenty of fodder for that as well. I keep reminding myself how extraordinary it is to have this opportunity. I would like to be able to talk with more people who like woodworking, people who are classical musicians and people who are "makers" but that's splitting hairs and I feel like that will come in time when we can talk to each other without the unreasonable fear we are under in the present moment," wrote one expat in Rio de Janeiro.

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