Simões Filho, Brazil

With a population of just 72,526, Simões Filho is a modest municipality in Brazil's Bahia state. The city's main claims to fame are a couple of local celebrities - a professional footballer and a runner-up in the Miss Brazil pageant. Beyond that, the place seems unremarkable, offering little to draw in ambitious expats. Bureaucracy is a persistent headache, as it is across much of Brazil. And with the city situated in the country's northeastern region, the climate can be brutally hot and humid. This is a sleepy backwater, best suited for those content with a slower pace of life and lower cost of living.