Crime's not bad. Especially if your'e big and you're american. No one touches you.
I just hope you hav a good source of income. To want to live "close" to the american way (eat in nice restaurants, have gadgets, clothes, cell phones, internet, fly back home, etc) -- you'll still be paying US type prices. That chinese DVD for $80 in the US also costs $80 (or more) in brazil. It's not like you can go down there and buy quality goods for ridiculous prices. If so -- i could make a killing buying and importing that shit here.
Now if you want to live the standard of living of normal brazilians -- yeah you could live cheap.
Personally i'd rather live in a nice tropical island like costa rica or cayman.