Originally Posted by
greasy
My advise. For business trip, its ok, company expenses, everything still pricey, but won't kill you.
For vacation, AVOID Brazil.
Everything is so ridiculously expensive. A regular lunch cost $20USD, a dinner cost $75. A nice steak dinner cost $150USD.
Those hotel I usually stay, to US/European 3-4 stars standard, charge $400USD a night.
And Hostels are mostly dump, and extremely dangerous. I'll bet you anything one day you wake up, half of your belongings will be stolen. (That happen to one of my co-worker, inside a so-called 4 stars hotel)
Ridiculous
advice. Brasil has become more expensive which on the plus side has reduced the number of thuggish tourists that plagued Rio when the Real was weak against the US$.
However as always I
advise people to stay in apartments. I pay US$50 a night to stay in a 800 sq ft apt. with 10mb internet and HD TV. Admittedly it is a friend's that normally goes for US$90 a night. Wrt lunch a glass of acai and fillet steak sandwich costs R$20 at a lanchonete, for dinner a beer, caipirinha, file parmegiana and expresso costs about R$70 even in the Ave. Atlantica beachfront restaurants.