It seemed to me like Salvador was an extreme version of Rio in several ways. Whereas in Rio, the tap water is drinkable though not delicious, the water in Salvador is unsafe to drink. Salvador is the first place in South America I've visited where that's been the case. It's a bit of a headache trying to deal with, since even the ice in fountain drinks at restaurants is unsafe. I always had to make sure to order cans of soda instead.
The population of Salvador is much darker than that of Rio. They have a strong Afro-Brazilian tradition there, and whereas I would describe most of the people in Rio as "golden," most people in Salvador would definitely be described as Afro-Brazilian. I felt so conspicuous there with my light skin and hair. In Rio there are enough light-skinned people that on a good day, I think I can blend in fairly well. In Salvador, I had no chance - there, being light-skinned almost automatically marks a person as being a tourist. Like Rio, Salvador is a dangerous city, and I really didn't like automatically being marked as a target simply because of my skin color. I never had any problems there, but I was always slightly apprehensive nevertheless.
Salvador seems to be a more run-down city than Rio. The northeast region as a whole has a reputation as one of Brazil's most impoverished areas. In fact, a large number of the residents in Rio's favelas are originally from the Northeast, having come to Rio in search of better opportunities. Though the city of Salvador is certainly far better off than less-urbanized areas, traces of that poverty are visible throughout the city. I was staying in Barra, one of the nicer areas of Salvador, but even so, the sidewalk on my street was so crumbled in some places that it would've been better to have had no sidewalk at all. I thought the favelas in Rio were prominent, but the favelas in Salvador are even more visible. The ones in Rio are either on hillsides or in the Zona Norte, in places that people from the Zona Sul would rarely pass on buses. In Salvador, on the other hand, the favelas seem to be smack in the middle of the city, requiring people to drive right alongside or through them.
On the other hand, I think Salvador has better beaches than Rio. I almost feel traitorous in saying so, seeing as how Rio's beaches are world reknowned for their beauty, but I think it's true. In Rio, the beaches tend to be fairly lengthy. This means that, if you try to take a picture of it, you mostly get a bunch of sand and water, with perhaps a cool rock or two off in the distance. Doesn't make for the most amazing photo ops. In Salvador, many of the beaches are smaller. Salvador is located on a peninsula with the Atlantic Ocean on one side, and All Saints Bay on the other. The coast is rather scalloped, which produces a lot of smaller, semi-circle beaches. Additionally, there are often cool things located on the points separating beaches, including forts, a lighthouse, and a statue of Christ. That makes for much prettier photos.
The water in Salvador is warmer than in Rio, too. I generally don't like to swim in the ocean, and in Rio tend to stay on the sand. In Salvador, however, it was so hot and sunny and the water looked so inviting, that I just couldn't resist. The beach I went to, Porto da Barra, had only gentle waves. I swam out to where it was over my head, and even there the water was so clear I could see all the way to the bottom. The water was the absolutely perfect temperature, and it took quite awhile before I was able to convince myself to go back on the sand. If I wanted to go on a beach vacation, I'd choose Salvador over Rio in an instant.
a sweeping view of Salvador, with its lighthouse on the point 
a closer shot of the lighthouse 
another beach shot 
Rio has a statue of Christ on a mountain, Salvador has a statue of Christ on a hill 
the Lacerda Elevator, which connects Pelourinho with the coast, far below 
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