Rio On A Budget

A view of Arpoador beach in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, July 29, 2008. The weak dollar and a steadily strengthening Brazilian real have seen Rio climb from the 135th most expensive city in the world just a few years ago, to the 31st most expensive today, tied with Barcelona and Stockholm.

People are seen at Arpoador beach in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, July 29, 2008. Thank goodness for the beach! From the white sands of Ipanema to Copacabana's honky-tonk to the seemingly deserted paradises on the city's outskirts, Rio is a bargain-hunting beachgoers' paradise.

People are shown outside of the Beco do Rato bar in the Lapa neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Thursday, July 31, 2008. A tiny, funky little neighborhood once known as the "Montmartre of the Tropics," It's centered at the foot of an old picturesque aqueduct known as the Arcos da Lapa. Lapa offers some lovely old colonial buildings and -- in recent years -- an active nightlife scene.

People are shown dining and drinking at the Beco do Rato bar in the Lapa neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Thursday, July 31, 2008.

People buy fish at the Sao Pedro fish market in the Niteroi neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Thursday, July 31, 2008.

Tourists enjoy the view from the world famous "Christ The Redeemer" statue in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, July 29, 2008. Since it was placed atop the 2,300-foot peak of Corcovado mountain in 1931, this figure -- a statue of Christ with his arms apart as if he were embracing the city -- has been one of the most famous symbols of Rio.

The world famous "Christ The Redeemer" statue, right, and the Sugar Loaf hill, right back, are seen in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, July 29, 2008.

Tourists take pictures at the world famous "Christ The Redeemer" statue in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, July 29, 2008.