Tipping In Brazil - A Complete Guide
Quick Guide
🍽️ Restaurant - 10% If Good + No Service Charge
🍹 Bar - 10% If Table Service + No Service Charge
☕️ Café - Not Expected - Can Round Up To Next R$
🚕 Taxi - Not Expected - Can Round Up By R$1-2
🛎️ Porter/Bellhop - R$5/Bag Customary
🛏️ Housekeeping - Optional R$5-10/Day
📸 Tour Guide - 10-15% Customary
⛽️ Gas Attendant - R$3-5 If Extra Service
Tipping and saying thank you (“obrigado/a”) for good service is part of Brazilian culture. Don’t expect great customer service everywhere you go (that’s also part of the culture) but try to tip unless you’re actively unhappy with the service you’ve received.
Calculate a culturally appropriate tip for Brazil using the calculator below and read on for more detail on tipping in Restaurants, Bars, Taxis, Hotels etc.
Brazil Tip Calculator
Good Tip For Brazil
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Total With Tip
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Tipping in Restaurants
Some eateries (restaurants, casual “lanchonetes”, diners) in Brazil will add a service charge (“taxa de serviço”) of around 10-13% on to your bill (“Conta”). Sometimes, it’ll be auto-added, sometimes they’ll ask you first. It’s customary to say yes if satisfied.
If there is a service charge, you’re not expected to tip extra and you can ask for the charge to be removed if you have poor service.
No service charge? A 10% cash tip is customary as long as you’re happy. Leave your tip on the table. In more casual establishments, there may be a tip or “caixinha” box on the counter.
Tipping Bartenders
Sometimes you’ll see a service charge (“serviço”) added on to your bar bill (more common in pubs than Botecos - informal street bars).
If there’s a service charge, there’s no need to tip extra and in cases of really poor service you can ask for it to be removed from your bill.
No service charge? Tip around 10% for table service (preferably in cash). It’s not customary to tip if you’re being served at the bar.
Tipping in Cafés
You won’t find many Brazilians tipping in Cafés. It’s certainly not obligatory but if you’re paying with cash feel free to round up your bill to the nearest Real (R$).
Tipping Taxi and Rideshare Drivers
Most taxi drivers in Brazil don’t expect tips, especially if your fare is prepaid (ie. Rio Radio taxi) or paid via app (Uber).
If you’re getting a metered taxi (yellow in Rio or white in São Paolo) it’s common to round up your fare to the nearest Real. That’s particularly true if your driver loads/unloads your luggage or gives you local advice.
Sometimes, metered taxi drivers actually round down your fare (e.g. R$15.21 to R$15.00). Feel free to pay that amount exactly or give them an extra 1-2 Reais for good service.
Better than a tip, if you’re satisfied with your driver you can always ask them for their number/business card and call them up for subsequent journeys.
Bear in mind that if your route includes tolls your driver will usually add that to your bill.
Tipping The Porter/Bellhop
It’s customary to hand your porter a cash tip of around R$5 per bag.
Tipping Housekeeping
It’s less common to tip housekeeping but if you’re really pleased with the service, feel free to leave a small tip of around R$5-10 per day. Always leave a note next to the tip.
If you tip on the first day of your trip you may get better service throughout the rest of your stay.
Tipping Tour Guides
Whether you’re taking a boat trip or a slum tour, it’s customary to tip your tour guide around 10-15% of the total tour cost.
Sometimes they’ll pass a hat or similar object around to collect tips at the end of your tour.
Tip on the higher end of that 10-15% range if you’re really satisfied or if there’s a team/crew (the tip will usually be split between them).
Which Currency To Use
Stick to the official currency of Brazil, the Real (Symbol: R$, Plural: Reais), don’t use any other foreign currencies and have some small bills on hand for tipping.
Whilst you might be able to tip via card in some eateries and other establishments, cash tips are usually preferred.
Boa viagem! - Have a good trip! 🇧🇷🍹🌴🏖️
