Prices in Brazil?

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The price for beer depends obviously on where you go. In general, I paid anywhere from 2-5 Real (Brazilian currency) for a beer. The normal is to buy a large bottle of beer and share it with your friends. That is generally a better deal and will usually only cost around 4.50 or possibly up to 8 depending on where you are. As a general rule, anything not Brazilian cost more. That makes sense, but it is true for food and drinks. Vodka is more expensive than their local alcohol "cachaça" which is made from sugar cane, similar to rum. A shot of cachaca will cost about 2-3 Real. Their national drink "caipirinha" is a mixture of cachaca, slices of fruit usually Lime, ice and sugar. The taste is good, but all that sugar and alcohol will give you a terrible hangover! Caipirinha will cost you about 3-6 Real a glass.

Normal, traditional Brazilian food is similiar to what you will find all over Central America and the Caribbean. Black Beans, rice, greasy chicken cooked in a pot, Salad, bananas, etc. The price for this kind of meal ranges from 10-20 Real. However, you will also find a lot of Brazilian "fast food" items. These are normally fried foods such as squid, or fried potatoes. They have something called Pastel which is a fried dough filled with cheese and or meat. It is very good and you can get it at any bar or food stand. Brazillian fast food is generally cheap and will only cost 2.50 Real or close, per item. It is snack food.

If you go out to eat somewhere nice, be prepared to pay for it. A bottle of wine at a store is about 30-50 Real. The same bottle of wine at a restaurant is 60-100 Real. I love to eat nice meals in nice restaurants. On several occasions, for a full meal from appetizer to dessert, including wine, cost me anywhere from 300-600 Real for two people. Cheap meals in small or cheap restaurants cost maybe 20-30 Real per person including beer and water.

Where are you going in Brazil? What city? Rio was an easy city to travel in. There are taxi's everywhere and a 30 minute taxi ride usually cost about 30-40 Real. The taxi drivers have a chart that compares time to what is on the meter. What you see on the meter will be close to what you pay, but not exact due to this chart. Beware of taxi drivers that want to charge you a "flat" rate. Always go off the meter. There is a lot of public transportation in Rio, usually buses or small vans, but it looks very dirty and confusing. If you have the time to figure it out, I'm sure it is cheaper than a taxi but much more time consuming. I took a taxi everywhere because it is very easy.

If you plan to travel between cities in Brazil, I recommend their bus system. Every city has a bus terminal. The buses vary in quality, but the majority of them are good and comfortable, and some are very nice. However, it is helpful if you speak Portuguese. Getting a ticket can be confusing. Bus tickets between cities are very reasonably priced. I took a bus from Sao Paulo to Santos (a 2-3 hour ride) for 20 Real. I took a bus from Santos to Caragatatuba (about a 4 hour ride) for 50 Real. No reservations needed.

Gratuity is usually included in the bill. However, I followed the German rule of rounding the bill to a whole number and not worrying about small change. I found this practice was much appreciated.

Also, generally speaking, Brazilians are willing to negotiate a price if you are close to what is offered. On Several occasions, I was a few Real short, or I offered to pay a few Real less than the price shown on the tag. Every time, my offer was accepted.
Also, I took a small scenic train up to the Christ statue. The ticket was 45 Real. I think if you take public transportation to the base of the statue, the ticket is only 15 Real. The price for Sugar Loaf mountain was also 45 Real.

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Comments

[Jamie Jo]

Brazil...
Wow Anthony, it looks beautiful. I am glad you are out finding yourself in beautiful countries.