exchanging money is based on personal preference and convenience - buying reais before arriving to brazil can be useful, but for those not wanting to carry big chunks of cash, for safety reasons, there are various ways of acquiring reais within the city of rio de janeiro.

directly withdrawing money from an atm is perhaps the easiest way, and depending on one's bank, it can be the cheapest - additionally, the site melhorcâmbio. com is a brazilian webpage catered to help users find the best exhange rate within the chosen city and type of currency.