I had been there a few times before deciding to spend a couple months there, I knew enough Portuguese to get around by then, I got better and more conversational with it when I had a woman teach me. As for dropping everything, it was either that or continue working a job I hated, needed change of scenery in the worst way. I had no kids, no girlfriend, just work and more work to do, I made a good amount of money but couldn't stand waking up in the morning everyday.
The city was easy, I had been to Rio & Salvador, I loved both of them but Salvador had more staying power for me. When I wasn't there I wanted to be back there, and it just felt like a place I could live long term. I stayed almost the full 6 months you're allowed to stay, I was going to overstay my visa and had a woman there who I was planning on being with long term, as in she would have popped out some babies if I was still there
My family convinced me to come back, I would have stayed and lived there if it weren't for them, family is the only thing that ties me to the US.
What's your degree in? You could probably teach English right now. Define good living, because you probably won't make as much, but you won't need as much, you could have a nice house or apartment on the beach and live a slower paced life, you may not have the latest Iphone or nothing like that, but you could be happier. Use Duolingo, Pimselur (If I can find this I'll upload this), the Portuguese language pack on Spotify, start listening to Brazilian music and watching TV. If your city has Brazilian BBQ joints, start going to them and talking to people there.