Santa Helena de Goiás, Brazil

With a population of just 33,142, Santa Helena de Goiás is hardly the bustling hub you might expect from a major Brazilian municipality. This sleepy agricultural town in the state of Goiás is a world away from the excitement of Rio or São Paulo, with a slow-growing economy focused on crops like sugarcane and soybeans. The adult literacy rate lags the national average at 84%, and the local government bureaucracy is a persistent headache, as evidenced by the town's modest ranking of 1,973 out of over 5,500 municipalities nationwide on the Municipal Human Development Index. If you're looking for a peaceful, rural lifestyle in Brazil, Santa Helena may fit the bill - but don't expect much in the way of big-city amenities or entertainment.