Caicó, Brazil

This sleepy backwater of 50,640 residents is no vacation paradise. The brutal heat and aridity make daily life a grind, with temperatures spiking over 100°F and less than 28 inches of rain per year. And while the cost of living is rock-bottom, the local bureaucracy is a persistent headache. Caicó's remoteness, 222 km from the state capital Natal, only compounds the challenges. Unless you crave a simple, rustic lifestyle far from the madding crowd, there are far more appealing places to put down roots in Brazil.