How much does a Trip to Brazil Cost as cheap as Possible?

How much would a trip to Brazil cost during Carnival?

• I would like to know how much would it roughly cost for a week long trip to Rio de Janeiro during Carnival in March 2011. Including airfare, hotel (I don't mind staying at a hostel as long as it's safe), meals, sightseeing, transportation in Brazil, the whole nine yards? Does $3000 sound like a decent amount to save up for my overall trip? More or less? I will be flying from NYC. :-)

• Answer:

  Yes, $ 3000 sounds reasonable for everything. You're probably looking at about $ 1000-1300 round-trip on airfare, because it's high season, then at least $ 100/day for a decent hotel (again, b/c it's Carnival). Food and transportation will be pretty reasonable, as long as you avoid the tourist traps (around Copacabana and a few places in Ipanema/Leblon). I've been to Rio a lot and always found good food at decent prices. If you can, try to go north of Rio by bus a few hours to Buzios: it's got great beaches and restaurants and even water taxis. Very cool. Take a few hundred dollars in cash to change into Reais when you get there (the f/x rate is always better in Brazil) for tips, taxis, etc, but for most things (hotel, food, gifts), you can use a credit card, which is better because then you don't have to worry about carrying money around with you all the time. Have fun!