Going to Brazil for a month - how much spending money do i need? And in what form?

Question

won't be doing anything too fancy, just travelling by bus along the coast - but would like to be confident that we won't run out of cash. also, what currency should we take? and how much travellers cheques:cash?

Answer 1

the ATMs don't always work, and impose limits on how much cash you can take out, so don't depend on them, especially when you're out of the major cities

travelers cheques aren't a great idea in brazil

having a lot of cash is the best thing to do, but find a very good hiding place for it, because you might get mugged

Answer 2

i was in rio in december.  2 weeks after i returned i noticed someone taking money from my usa bank account.  apparently someone got ahold of my debit card information (the card i used at atms... and atms only).  so, be careful, even when using your atm card!  i was using hsbc atm machines too... not weird looking machines in dark alleys.  i would suggest changing your atm pin number after returning from your trip.  just stop by your bank and change it.  it takes 2 minutes.

i kept money in 2 bank accounts, by the way.  1 atm card always gave me problems.  so, really, i just withdrew from 1 account.  the reason i split my money into 2 accounts was not only for this reason... but because i was fearful that if a card was stolen i'd be out of luck.  so, having another atm card was precautionary.

i also took 2 credit cards with me.  i never carried more $$$ with me than i needed for the upcoming immediate needs.  i also only carried 1 - 2 credit cards with me at a time.

Answer 3

The prices are too diferent among the states you will cross along the cost. Florianópolis at Santa Catarina State is chip to eat and well served. It is good to surf, dance, sand board and more, beatifull people. That´s one of the most wanted places in the entire country. Is in south Brazil. You will find small and casual hotels for about 40,00 Reais a day, its about 20 USD early meal is included. After you leave there make a big jump (750 kilometers = 470 miles) to reach São Paulo. The beaches are 1 hour driving from the capital ( that is a place you shouldn´t miss) The nights are hot and you can eat a lot of diferent kinds of food any time and dance all the rithyms. The north beaches are the best, beautifull people and not to crowded, but with the best places to dance. a good tip is Maresias beach. The road along the coast is wonderful. Next stop can be Paraty in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Its more cultural, and Its a good place to rest and sailing. Keep going north and stop at Angra dos Reis and take a boat to Ilha Grande. Its good to trail, ride boats e dive. Rio de Janeiro city is the next stop. It is natural wonderful and you can go at the main sight seens in one day then go to Arraial do Cabo and Buzios. It is the best spot to dive and fun. Still going north you will reach the State oh Bahia. Its very tipical. The best spot is Morro the São Paulo. Its a island about one hour by boat. Then get back to the continent and look for the most visited places. Take another bus to Praia do Forte. Keep going north and crossing the northeast states and finish at Fortaleza. They are simple but all has natural beuty and wonderful beaches.

Probably you will spend 30,00 Reias ( 15,00 USD) per day to eat. Aproximately 60,00 Reias (30,00 USD) to Sleep, 30,00 (15,00 USD for fun and 100,00 Reais (50,00 USD) for bus tickets for long trips.You can use credit cards mostly but is better to carry some money to by food on the streets, out of restaurants and markets.

Answer 4

use a credit card or debit card havin bin der b4 i know dat in da slums dey steal ur money, also the kids spit on ur shoes so dey have to clean it n u give dem da money to clean it

Answer 5

Adding to what was said above, ATMs/cashpoints can be difficult to find if you are not in a metropolitan area or even a busy area of a town. The only currency people will accept is Brazilian reais, and any transactions in dollars tend to be overpriced and in touristy spots.  

As travelling with a lot of money is risky, for the sake of calculating you could take the average spending per day above to see how much money you need to have on you on given days and regularly obtain the rest when you go to a major centre by exchanging travellers' cheques or withdrawing with your debit/credit card -

Check with your bank and credit card issuer what the bank partnerships are. Chip and pin has not been adopted so widely for credit cards; you may be restricted to using certain bank networks; you may not need to worry about withdrawing limits but actually about limits to credit card spending per day on international transactions; Visa electron and Maestro work but other national debit networks (Solo, Discovery) are unlikely to; inform your credit card company that you are travelling there as they can assume transactions are abnormal and decline to authorize them.... Yet, once you are there and have taken all of these cautionary measures, cards are much easier to handle than the long queueing and paperwork for exchanging traveller's cheques in the few posts they can be exchanged for free (Banco do Brasil and other American Express listed establishments, not the over-the-counter agencies in airports and hotels). However, with regard to cost, travellers' cheques used to be more economical in view of credit card fees and interest rates on international transactions. But as legislation changed and your banking may not be as taxing as my banking system, it might not be the case anymore.

Have fun!