Cost of Living in Brazil

[timatthebeach]

az08 you can use any cards abroad (well all the major debit and credit cards) but using specifically nationwide flex account means you wont be charged for withdawing abroad.

the other banks DO charge so lloyds tsb and natwest will charge you to withdraw in brazil. also be very aware of card cloning (at atm's) and keylogging (in internet cafes) although more prevalent in touristy areas it happens quite alot in brazil.

[DGM42]

az08
The bar is called Bar do Zeze and is in a place called Barreiro, close to Contagem. I haven't heard on Sao Marcus, but BH is a big city - nowhere as big as SP or Rio though. I stay in the Lourdes area will be back there in November.

I typically bring back things like shoes, arts and crafts, gemstones anything really which I like.
I also end up bringing lots of thiungs to Brasil which are realy expensive there. This ranges from things like english tea to clothes. Any designer labelled clothes are really expensive in Brasil and I have a list from my girlfriends friends and family. Diesel jeans 40 pounds in UK over 120 pounds in Brasil becasue of the high import taxes.
If you travel to Brasil a lot like I do all the clothes etc I need are at my gitlfriends so I just bring things back and forth for people.

As regards to credit and debit cards. I thought Nationwide were the only UK bank not to charge when using cards abroad so double check with your bank. The first time I went and used my Nat West cards it cost nearly 4 pounds in a transaction fee and a bad exchange rate.
I'm not going to get involved in the you can't have a bank account in Brasil row, but I have one with Banco do Brasil and CPF and it works fine. One of the lucky ones I guess.

I have never been asked if I have a return ticket, where I am staying or to prove my funds in Rio, SP or BH airports and have taken lots of internal flights and again never have been asked.
Now they just see the loads of entry and exit stamps in the passport and say have a nice trip.

Hope you like BH, as I say it is not much of a tourist destination but there are lots of places within a few hours drive that are really nice to see and check out, Ouro Preto, Traidente. Buzios is great for beaches but about a 7 hour drive and a great place to stay, lots of fairly cheap pousada's and new year there is wonderful. Enjoy Brasil it is a wonderful country and as long as you keep your wits about you and don't stray into unkown areas you should be ok. Listen to the locals and you should be safe, your girlfriend will no doubt tell you this anyway.

[debzor]

Anybody else noticed the fall in the price of alcool?

I am now paying less than R$1.70 per litre - not as good as the R$1.40 of 6 months ago, but better than the R$1.85 of last month.

Reasons? Harvest time?

[Dotty]

Local properties-According the local paper yesterday,investors in Natal (local and other)are being hit by the World financial crisis.Those most likely to be hit are the developers from overseas,especially the large projects and local buyers who have borrowed money from private banks where the interest has risen from 9% to 14% in 1 mth.

Prices will most likely come down(great for those who are seeing an increase in the pound).
Hang on a while so you can grab the bargains in the near future.There are plenty of properties available and several sellers are excepting anything from cars,old apartments,houses etc . A fun time to negogiate!!

[davehoskings]

Originally Posted by Dotty

Local properties-According the local paper yesterday,investors in Natal (local and other)are being hit by the World financial crisis.Those most likely to be hit are the developers from overseas,especially the large projects and local buyers who have borrowed money from private banks where the interest has risen from 9% to 14% in 1 mth.

Prices will most likely come down(great for those who are seeing an increase in the pound).
Hang on a while so you can grab the bargains in the near future.There are plenty of properties available and several sellers are excepting anything from cars,old apartments,houses etc . A fun time to negogiate!!

Crap property in Natal and elsewhere isn't selling but that has been the case for at least a year. I just got gazumped on a very nice beach front plot so there is still demand for quality.

Somehow people being so desperate to sell that they are swapping their apartment for another apartment somehow doesn't have the ring of truth about it. I am not suprised this comes from you Dotty.

[Dotty]

You really do not have that much experience here from my knowledge,only occupied with put downs .You are now on my ignore list!

Originally Posted by davehoskings

Crap property in Natal and elsewhere isn't selling but that has been the case for at least a year. I just got gazumped on a very nice beach front plot so there is still demand for quality.

Somehow people being so desperate to sell that they are swapping their apartment for another apartment somehow doesn't have the ring of truth about it. I am not suprised this comes from you Dotty.

[davehoskings]

Originally Posted by Dotty

You really do not have that much experience here from my knowledge,only occupied with put downs .You are now on my ignore list!

what knowledge do you have about me dotty?

What is worse to be occupied with put downs or occupied with making a market look bad at any price.

[Dotty]

Dave,

Might be a good idea to read the papers in Natal.Sunday's edition will supply you with further information regarding the overseas property market and local.
Hope this helps

Originally Posted by davehoskings

what knowledge do you have about me dotty?

What is worse to be occupied with put downs or occupied with making a market look bad at any price.

[davehoskings]

Originally Posted by Dotty

Dave,

Might be a good idea to read the papers in Natal.Sunday's edition will supply you with further information regarding the overseas property market and local.
Hope this helps

I usually don't read the papers anywhere as it isn't information about the property market it is opinion from a reporter that you get from a newspaper.

Anyway I will wager any amount of money that you either exagerated or misinterpreted the story.

[Dotty]

By the way if you had an agreeable contract drawn up on your beach land then you would not have been gazumped and would possibly be entitled to some money!!

Originally Posted by davehoskings

I usually don't read the papers anywhere as it isn't information about the property market it is opinion from a reporter that you get from a newspaper.

Anyway I will wager any amount of money that you either exagerated or misinterpreted the story.