Daily life: sockets, transport, shops

Some everyday rules in Brazil work differently from what you are used to, and people usually learn them by experience. Below is what residents of Rio de Janeiro and its surroundings describe. Prices are as of the stated dates.

Checked on 8 October 2026.

In short

Sockets most often give 127 V, and 220 V exists only in some states and in particular sockets; it is better to buy appliances marked 110–230 V.
Electronics in Brazil are expensive because of import duties: an iPhone costs 1.5–2 times more.
The ground floor in a lift is 0, T (Térreo) or P (Portaria).
Keep your shop receipt: you can use it to exchange a spoiled product.

Voltage and sockets

In most states the sockets give 110–127 V, in some 220 V. In homes with 127 V there are usually one or two 220 V sockets: they are thicker and often red. Modern laptops and smartphones work on both voltages, while other appliances are built for one. If you plug a 110 V appliance into 220 V, it first runs "in turbo mode" and then fails: the @svoibrazil author burned out the fan and grill of a new oven, and an adapter melted. Look at the sticker on the appliance: it is better to buy ones marked 110–230 V. For powerful appliances (a washing machine, an oven) a separate high-power socket is installed rather than an adapter. The sockets' openings are often narrower than in the CIS: an adapter costs US$ 2–3 (post, 15.01.2024, post, 01.02.2025).

What to bring

Because of high import duties fewer appliances are sold in Brazil than in Russia, an iPhone costs 1.5–2 times more, and the choice is poor. It is better to bring electronics and any specialised tools with you; a fallback is a trip to Paraguay. Bring all the documents you have: the author found a school certificate useful (post, 07.01.2024).

Public transport in Rio

The metro (four lines), buses, the BRT (rapid buses on dedicated lanes: four lines), trains and the VLT Carioca tram between Santos Dumont airport and the bus station. Buses without air conditioning are not recommended, and robberies happen on them. Fares in April 2025: bus and BRT R$ 4.70, metro R$ 7.50; there is a single transport card (post, 11.04.2025).

Intercity buses

With no passenger trains, the bus is the main transport between cities. The classes: convencional (ordinary seats), executivo (a slight recline, sometimes Wi-Fi), semi-leito (wider seats, more room), leito (recline up to 180°, pillows and blankets) and cama (the top class, wide seats on the lower deck). The higher the class, the dearer the ticket. The author's longest route took 36 hours, from Rio to Salvador (post, 21.04.2025).

Lifts: which button

The ground floor in a lift may be labelled "0", "T" (Térreo, ground) or "P" (Portaria, the doorman). "SS" is subsolo, an underground level, "G" or "G1" is garagem, the garage. If the lift has English labels, "P" may mean Parking rather than Portaria (post, 30.12.2024).

Shops and complaints

Keep receipts. The author twice bought spoiled meat: the first time he had no receipt, the second time he kept it, and at the Assaí supermarket the atendimento desk offered a replacement at once (post, 01.02.2026).
A complaint to the Rio city hall. For city problems (a dug-up road, noise) you can write to the Rio prefecture's service on WhatsApp at +55 21 3460-1746. The author sent a complaint in the evening, and the next day workers removed the metal plates and filled the hole (post, 07.10.2025).

Sources

Personal experience (channels @svoibrazil and @russo_no_brasil, in Russian):