Expert: Edison - 12/10/2009

Question
Hi,I have couple of questions about the following Brazilian cities Fortaleza and Manaus. I plan to move to Brazil thru the Investor Visa that requers me to open a company in Brazil and transfer money there which later should be used to start some kind of business. As far I understand most dangerous cities in Brazil with a high rate of murders and muggings are Rio de Janeiro,Sao Paulo,Salvador.Since those cities are big they would have been better for me to move to, but I am concerned about safety there. So what do you know about the overall safety in Fortaleza amd Manaus? Those two cities are also very large in population and look like safer than Rio,Sao Paulo,Brasilia am I wrong? I also like Fortaleza and Manaus due to there warm weather and that they probably will have a lower cost of living compared to the other larger cities (Rio,S.P.).Thank you.

Answer
Mike,

I don't believe that Fortaleza or Manaus are much safer that Rio or Sao Paulo. It all depends on which part of the city do you live (more expensive are safer).

I don't know what type of business are you opening, but I recommend to choose a small or medium city close to a big city, in the states of Bahia, Minah Gerais, Sao Paulo, Rio, Parana or Santa Catarina. These cities provide the lowest cost of living, good safety, and cheap labor.

Good luck!

Edison