How much is a pre-paid cell phone in Brazil?

Question

I will be in Brazil for a month and wanted to know how much it costs to get a cell phone there that you just buy a pre-paid card to make local calls with. I have one for another country I visit frequently and it's so much easier than worrying about unlocking mine. Plus, then I'll have a local number. The other way I was thinking was getting a SIM card but, again, this would require an unlocked phone and I'd like to invest as little as possible. So, how much does a cell phone usually cost? I am going to Sao Paulo and can buy it when I get there.

Answer 1

I got one in July from Vivo for around 150 reais (so somewhere between $70 and $80 depending on fluctuations in the exchange rate).  The previous answerer is right, you'll need a CPF number to get a phone.  (Why that is would be the subject for a good Yahoo Answers question?)  After about a month, my phone stopped working and there was a message in Portuguese that I couldn't understand.  It turned out my friend needed to call up and re-register the phone with that number.

Answer 2

cookies is right.  They will have some at the airport, but they are more expensive.  They are easy to find everywhere in the city.  Last time I tried you had to have a CPF, so make sure you have a brazilian friend with you if this is still a requirement.

Answer 3

Say that the pre-paid mobile phone in the world is the cheapest in the world.

Answer 4

A prepaid phone is about 25 dollars and a prepaid chip is 7 dollars

happy travels