Has anyone lived in South America? What were your experiences?

I have lived in Buenos Aires and Rio, and visited Caracas once on a business trip. I would not consider Caracas. Like another poster mentioned, I also lived in Botafogo which is equidistant between the CBD and the beaches (my preference was Ipanema). It was a nice area to live in and while I look back on my time there mostly positively, I found the jarring disparity of wealth, and consequently living standards, really ground me down. I binned it off after 6 months. I lived in Buenos Aires for a year in the mid-nineties and I absolutely loved it. I have visited four or five times since, but not for a long period of time and the last time was probably 2012. I always found it to be incredibly safe from a personal safety point of view, but the multiple economic crises this century might have changed it. The place has a vibe, it grabs you somehow. The steak and the wine is spectacular, the nightlife was always fun, and I wish I’d been able to live there permanently, but at least I got to experience a year there. In summary, Buenos Aires would be the best option should you make the move.