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It is expensive, but it sounds a bit exaggerated to me that you would not be able to find good meals for $50/day. City Data dwellers tend to exaggerate ALOT.
I've been to Brazil quite a few times, just not to Rio. Buffets are very popular as are snacks(salgados) that are cheap and filling. Italian style sandwiches, burgers, pizza are popular too. There's pasta, beans, rice, street food.
You'll have plenty of affordable options if you are not picky.
Food is something you'd be able to do cheap.
The issue lies in where you stay. Hotels are expensive, and the ones that aren't are typically in seedy areas near the favelas or a hike to anywhere decent in the city.
If you can manage to budget for a more expensive hotel, you should be able to get by cheap from there.
I have never been to Rio, however I have friends and (Brasilian) family that live there. I'm quite familiar with how it is.
My sister is the one that caught the travel bug and I'm her semi-reluctant travel companion, she mainly finds deals on secret flying and the flight deal in addition we are both on a Whatsapp group where deals are posted that leave from our general area but most of those deals are usually on the sites I mentioned. You also have to be pretty flexible and be willing to go to a destination that wasn't at the top of your list vs. waiting for a deal to come up for somewhere you want to go. Also we are lucky to live in an area that has 2 major international airports within a 45 minute drive and another 4 within a 4-5 hours drive so I think we have more departure options than most people.
If someone has a free place to stay in Rio which would definitely include breakfast (and sometimes dinner), would $50 a day work for a daily sightseeing budget?
Yes. If you have accommodations with food included than $50 a day for snacks and sightseeing is fine.
Food in Brasil used to be cheap but it is not anymore. The last time I went, I spent a significant amount of money on food and I did not eat at any 5 star restaurants either, and Rio is more expensive than the places I usually visit, Curitiba and Porto Alegre.
You can probably eat on $50/day but you may not eat well and you may not have money to do much of anything else. I would plan for a min of $100/day. I'd research everything you want to do beforehand and that way you know what attractions cost and you can plan around that.
The 'Mileage Runs' area at Flyertalk is also quite good at compiling bargain fares.
Wow there are some serious deals to Brazil right now, booked a RT flight to Rio for $650 for July!
OP- hopefully you return to read this- right now for the next few months is prime time to travel to Rio. The Real has really dropped in value- currently a dollar is 3x a Real. I get my info from Brazilian friends and family who are taking advantage and traveling down there now.
There are tons of affordable B&B options on AirB&B
Well my plan would be to go in November when its colder here in DC.
There is currently a sale to Rio for under $500 with dates until the end of October
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