After the long-expected devaluation of the real in 1999, many people anticipated explosive inflation. So far, however, exchange rates and prices have held steady. If you're traveling on buses every couple of days, staying in hotels for US$17.00 a night, and eating in restaurants or drinking in bars every night, US$50.00 is a rough estimate of what you would need per day. If you plan to lie on a beach for a month, eating rice and beans every day, US$25.00 to US$30.00 would be enough. Bear in mind that prices for accommodation increase 25-30% from December to February.
Money Preferred Form
Credit cards are now accepted all over Brazil. Visa is the best card to carry for cash advances. ATMs are the easiest way of getting cash in big cities and are widely found. In many smaller towns, ATMs exist but rarely work for non-Brazilian cards. In general HSBC, Banco do Brasil and Bradesco are the best ATMs to try. Look for the stickers on the machines that say Cirrus, Visa, or whatever system your card uses - though this may not mean the machine will necessarily work.
Even if you are relying mainly on credit or debit cards as your source of funds, it's a good idea to take a little cash and a few travelers checks too.
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Currency
- Name Brazilian Real
- Symbol R$
One real is made up of 100 centavos. Banknotes are easy to distinguish from each other, as they come in different colors. There's a green one-real note, a blue two, a purple five, a pink 10, a yellow 20, a brown 50 and a blue 100.
There are currently two different coin sets in circulation, one plain and one ornate. Their denominations are one, five, 10, 25, and 50 centavos, and one real (as well as the one real note).
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Changing Your Money
Changing cash and travelers checks is simple - there are cambios in all but the tiniest towns. It's worth having enough cash to tide you over the weekend, when finding an open change bureau, even in big cities, can be difficult. When buying cash, ask for lots of small bills as change is often unavailable for small transactions.
Banks have slower, more bureaucratic exchange procedures but on the whole give better rates (an exception being Banco do Brasil which charges an exorbitant commission for every travelers check transaction).
You'll usually get a 1% or 2% better exchange rate for cash than for travelers checks. Checks, of course, have the advantage of being replaceable if lost or stolen. Both cash and travelers checks should be in US dollars, and Amex is easily the most recognized traveler's check.
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Money Tips
Bargaining for hotel rooms should become second nature - always ask for a better price. You should also haggle in markets and unmetered taxis.
Sample Price Guide
- loaf of bread
- R$ 1.50
- litre of petrol
- R$ 3.10
- 1.5L of bottled water
- R$ 2.50
- glass of chope (draft beer)
- R$ 2.70
- souvenir t-shirt
- R$ 18.00
- freshly squeezed suco (juice)
- R$ 2.50
- admission to samba club in Rio
- R$ 10.00-21.00
- 2-hour flight from Rio to Salvador (one-way)
- R$ 220.00
- double room in a comfy pousada in Arraial d'Ajuda
- R$ 120.00
- 11-hour bus ride from São Paulo to Florianópolis
- R$ 87.00
- 4-day excursion in the Pantanal
- R$ 500.00
Average Room Prices
Low Mid High Deluxe US$5-25 US$25-75 US$75-300 US$300+ Average Meal Prices
Low Mid High Deluxe US$1-5 US$5-10 US$10-40 US$40+ -
Tipping
Most services get tipped a mandatory 10%, often included in the bill. If a waiter is friendly and helpful, you may like to give more. Because of Brazil's high unemployment rate, services that may seem superfluous are customarily tipped. Petrol-station attendants, shoe shiners and barbers are also frequently tipped. Taxi drivers are an exception: most people round the price up, but a tip is not expected.
