Brazil: Money & Costs

Money Preferred Form

• 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).

• 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.

• 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.

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