The Affordable Lifestyle In Rio

If you are on a strict budget, we strongly advise you to carefully pick the places that you want to visit. Of course, the Carnival and the New Year celebrations are the most popular events and not many people are willing to pass on these great events. However, you must now that these two events make the hotel prices go skyrocket (even up to four times). Besides these two events, another expensive time of the year in Rio de Janeiro is during the Brazilian summer (which starts in December and ends in February).

On the bright side, for budget travelers, the autumn and spring periods of the year have the nicest clear days, no uncomfortable heat or tropical downpours of high summer. Therefore, the “off season” is a great time to visit this exquisite location. You might have been thinking of getting a beachfront hotel in Leblon or Ipanema but you must take into consideration that the prices here are around $400 per night but if you are willing to pay this small fortune, no problem  as these hotels offer all the services you need. Hostels are also more expensive in these two locations in comparison with other areas of the city; a dorm bed is about $40 so for backpackers we suggest they look for other options.

An alternative (but not a very good one in our opinion) would be Copacabana, which is a little bit cheaper but still quite expensive, and the pollution and traffic might disturb your vacation. A general rule is that the farther away you are from the beachfront area, the less expensive the rooms will be, simple as that. For example, Botafogo offers a lively hostel scene and quite an exciting nightlife; similar options would be Gloria, Catete and Flamengo as they all offer decent accommodations at fair prices. Luckily, all of the above-mentioned locations are within just a few minutes away from the beach and downtown (taking the Metro).

Another cost-friendly option is to rent an apartment – the variety is huge, from top-notch rooms in Leblon to basic Copacabana bedsits. If you are on the look for a cheap way to eat, look out for places that offer comida a kilo’, where you must pay for the food by weight. In most cases, the lunch-only places, even the most basic ones will offer good salads and vegetables sides but also a variety of hot foods. The prices vary a lot, for example: Ipanema - $3 / 100 grams while in farther areas - $1.50 / 100 grams. The prices are often cheaper before 12 PM and after 2 PM.

As far as the nightlife is concerned, if you want to go to exclusive nightclubs and bars, you must spend a lot of money. A bottled beer costs less than a draught beer so make sure that you look for places that sell large bottles for sharing. The most important parts of Rio are the beaches and luckily, these are entirely free and so are most of the cultural centers and museums.

In conclusion, although you are on a very limited budget, you can do many things in Rio de Janeiro. The accommodations are also quite cheap if you know where to look. We hope that you will have a great time in Rio, as it is one of the most exquisite cities in the entire world.