Brazil Travel Budget

I understand that Brazil is pretty much the most expensive country in South America. But were you referring to the expensive costs counting that you were there during Carnival? If you were not there during Carnival, how much $ do you think you would have been spending per day with your lifestyle?

Craig's Response:

Brazil is pretty much the most (comparatively) expensive country for a traveler in South America (save for the three tucked into the NE of the continent), regardless of the time of year.

There are many environmental factors that I use to gage my happiness, but there are four that impact me on a daily basis above all else (in order of priority):

  1. Accommodations
  2. Transport
  3. Internet
  4. Food

Accommodations:

The image of paying about US$19/night in Maceió for a depressing dorm room with a cold shower won't soon leave my memory. Even staying in a tiny fishing village where only a passing Brazilian with a car might show up cost about US$9/night (the cheapest in town) for something that shouldn't have been more $3/night anywhere else in the world. The bed bug bites were free, though.

Here's a fun glimpse at what an average backpacker hostel in Rio looks like. Don't expect to pay less than $17/night for a dorm in that city.

Simple truth is that accommodations are consistently overpriced and under deliver in satisfaction. No matter how hard I looked, or how far off the tourist trail, it was tough to be happy about where I was living.

Transport:

For being the fifth largest country in the world, you'd think there would be some economical transport in Brazil… but I think that the majority of the population can't afforded to saunter about, so those that can get gouged. Petrol is expensive, buses are expensive (~$6-7/per hour with an average of ~23 hours between major cities), and flights are often priced similarly to buses. Taxis are expensive, local transport drivers are morons who only know their own route, and navigation between two points is often problematic.

I'm a believer that most people will, on average, end up spending the of their room's price on stuff through out the day. If your room costs $8, then you'll probably spend $16 in total, on the average (some days will be less, others will be more).

I worked exceedingly hard to live on the cheap in Brazil, and still ended up spending twice as much for 1/2 the pleasure. Traveling with a companion and a pre-purchased Brazilian "air pass" will greatly increase your happiness in Brazil, as room prices can be split to more reasonable levels, and flights will be cheaper than spending 30 hours on a bus.

Travelogue entries from Brazil.

Best of luck,

//craig in peru
Feb 29, 2008

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