How do you say money in Portuguese? The Portuguese word for money is dinheiro (it sounds roughly like "djee-NYAY-roo"), and it's the one you'll see at banks, on contracts and in the news. So what do Brazilians call money out on the street? We hardly ever stick to dinheiro: we say grana, bufunfa, tutu or dindim, pretty much the way you'd say "bucks", "dough" or "cash" in the US.
In this lesson I'll teach you the money vocabulary we actually use in Brazil: the most common Brazilian slang for money, how to say cash, bills and coins, how the Brazilian currency works (from Brazilian real bills to centavo coins), how to pay in Brazil à vista, in installments or with Pix, and even how to call someone stingy or say something costs "os olhos da cara". Everything comes with the class videos and real examples, so you can talk about money in Brazilian Portuguese like a local.
How do you say money in Portuguese?
Money in Portuguese is dinheiro, spelled with "nh", which sounds like the "ny" in "canyon". It's the neutral word, and it works just as well at the bank, in a store or chatting with friends: "Você aceita dinheiro ou só cartão?" (Do you take cash or just cards?).
Ways to say money in Portuguese (Brazilian slang for money)
In Brazil, the most common word on the street isn't dinheiro but grana, and there are plenty more gírias para dinheiro (slang words for money) depending on the region and how close you are to the person. These are the 10 ways to say money in Portuguese you'll hear the most, each with a real example.
| Word | When to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Dinheiro | Neutral, works in any situation | "Você aceita dinheiro ou só cartão?" |
| Grana | Informal, the most common all over Brazil | "Tô sem grana pra sair hoje." |
| Bufunfa | Informal and playful | "Ele ganhou uma bufunfa com esse negócio." |
| Tutu | Informal, a bit old-fashioned | "Cadê o tutu que eu te emprestei?" |
| Dindim | Informal, playful tone | "Bora juntar um dindim pra viagem." |
| Cascalho (cascai) | Informal | "Esse trabalho dá um bom cascalho." |
| Verba | Work-related, means budget or funds | "A empresa não tem verba para o projeto." |
| Money | Informal, borrowed from English | "Tô sem money esse mês." |
| Pila | Regional (Rio Grande do Sul), for amounts | "Custou dez pila." |
| Conto | Informal, for amounts in reais | "Me empresta cinquenta conto?" |
| Pau | Informal, mostly for thousands | "O carro custou trinta mil paus." |
Plata in Portuguese: watch out for "prata"
If you've picked up some Latin American Spanish, you probably know "plata" means money there. Don't carry it over to Brazil as "prata": for us, prata is mainly the metal, silver, as in "medalha de prata" (silver medal). To say "I'm broke" we say "tô sem grana". And it's not the only word that can trip you up: check out these Portuguese false friends that will embarrass you.
Cash, bills and coins
Cash in Portuguese is dinheiro em espécie (more formal) or dinheiro vivo (more casual). A bill is a nota or cédula, a coin is a moeda, and the change you get back is the troco. If you've got small bills, you have dinheiro trocado.
What is the currency of Brazil and how do you say prices?
The Brazilian currency is the real (plural reais), with the symbol R$, and each real is worth 100 centavos. Unlike in the US, we use a comma for cents and a period for thousands, so R$ 1.250,90 is read "mil duzentos e cinquenta reais e noventa centavos".
- R$ 1,00: um real.
- R$ 2,00: dois reais.
- R$ 0,50: cinquenta centavos.
- R$ 12,50: doze reais e cinquenta centavos; on the street we just say "doze e cinquenta".
- R$ 20,00: vinte reais; casually, "vinte conto".
- R$ 10.000,00: dez mil reais; casually, "dez mil paus".
The coins in circulation in Brazil
The coins in circulation are 5, 10, 25 and 50 centavos and 1 real. A quick pronunciation tip: "real" sounds roughly like "heh-OW", with the initial R close to an English H.
Do you still have 1-centavo coins lying around at home? More than 20 years after this coin stopped being minted, there are still around 3.19 billion 1-centavo coins officially in circulation in Brazil, worth close to R$ 32 million in total. Many of them are probably still forgotten in drawers, couch cushions and the pockets of old clothes.
Article in Portuguese: Forgotten in drawers: Brazilians have almost R$ 32 million stashed away in 1-centavo coins
The bills in circulation in Brazil
The bills in circulation today are 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 reais. They all feature the Effigy of the Republic, and each one has an animal from Brazilian wildlife on the back.
Different ways to use NOTA in Portuguese
Most common payment methods in Brazil
The most common payment method in Brazil is Pix: in the second half of 2025 it accounted for 54.7% of all transactions in the country, according to the Central Bank. But cards and cash are still very much alive, so it's worth knowing how to say each payment method and when you'll use it.
| Payment method | How to say it in Portuguese | When it's used |
|---|---|---|
| Instant transfer | Pix | For almost everything: stores, restaurants, street vendors and between friends |
| Credit card | cartão de crédito | In stores and for big purchases, especially to pay parcelado (in installments) |
| Debit card | cartão de débito | Everyday purchases on the maquininha (card machine) |
| Cash | dinheiro em espécie or dinheiro vivo | Small purchases, street markets, buses and places without a card machine |
| Payment slip with a barcode | boleto | Household bills, installments and online shopping |
| Traditional bank transfer | TED | Large amounts; hardly used day to day |
| Meal or grocery voucher | vale-refeição or vale-alimentação | Employee benefit for paying for food at restaurants and supermarkets |
Here's a detail worth noticing: "I use it" isn't the same as "it's what I use most". In the Central Bank's 2024 survey, 76.4% of Brazilians used Pix and 68.9% still used cash, but when people were asked about their most frequent payment method, Pix won by a wide margin.
Source: Central Bank of Brazil, survey "O brasileiro e sua relação com o dinheiro" (2024).
At the checkout, though, the story changes: according to the businesses themselves, the credit card is still the most frequent payment method (42%), ahead of Pix (25.7%), because it lets you pay in installments. That's why, whenever you pay for something in Brazil, you'll almost always hear: "Pix, débito ou crédito?".
The history of Brazil's currency: from the cruzeiro to the real
Phrases for shopping and paying in Brazil
To shop in Brazil, the key phrase is "Quanto custa?" (how much is it?), but at the register you'll get questions no textbook teaches you. These are the phrases we Brazilians use every day in stores, restaurants and street markets.
- Quanto custa? / Quanto é?: How much does it cost? / How much is it?
- Aceita cartão?: Do you take cards?
- Débito ou crédito?: Debit or credit? You'll hear it every time you pay by card.
- Pode passar na maquininha?: Can you run it on the card machine?
- Pode parcelar? Em quantas vezes?: Can I pay in installments? How many?
- Tem desconto à vista?: Is there a discount if I pay in full?
- Não rola um desconto?: Any chance of a little discount? A casual way to ask for a better price.
- Tem troco para cinquenta?: Do you have change for a fifty?
- Qual é a chave Pix?: What's your Pix key? It's the info you need to pay via Pix.
- CPF na nota?: Do you want your CPF on the receipt? If you're a foreigner without a CPF, just say "não, obrigado".
- A conta, por favor. Vamos rachar?: Check, please. Should we split it?
- O serviço está incluído?: Is service included? Many restaurants add an optional 10%.
Video: Money Vocabulary in Portuguese
This video lesson brings together the money vocabulary in Portuguese you'll need in Brazil, from "estar liso" (being flat broke) to exchanging dollars at a casa de câmbio and "conferir o troco". Hit play and follow the list below as you watch.
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Everything covered in the video
Here's every word and expression from the lesson in the order of the videos, grouped by situation: paying, going to the bank, buying cheap or expensive and talking about people with lots of money. Use it as a review guide or to quickly find an expression you heard.
- FALIR / FALÊNCIA: to go bankrupt / the bankruptcy of a person or a company.
- ESTAR LISO: to be broke, flat broke.
- TROCAR DINHEIRO: to exchange money into another currency or into smaller bills.
- CASAS DE CÂMBIO (COTAÇÃO): currency exchange offices; the cotação is the day's exchange rate.
- VERBO CONFERIR: to check, to look something over carefully.
- CONFERIR O TROCO: to make sure you got all your change back.
- DINHEIRO TROCADO: small bills or coins, small change.
- ALVO DE FALSIFICAÇÃO: counterfeiting target, the bills that get faked the most.
- NOTA / CÉDULA: bill.
- NOTAS EM CIRCULAÇÃO NO BRASIL: bills of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 reais.
- NOTA DE 1 REAL: a bill that's no longer printed; today the real circulates as a coin.
How to pay in Brazil: à vista, in installments and with Pix
To pay in Portuguese is pagar, but what really matters is how: "à vista" means paying in full up front, "parcelar" means paying in installments, and Pix is the instant transfer we use for everything in Brazil. Here you'll also learn how to take money out of an ATM and how to talk about debt.
- PAGAR À VISTA: to pay in full, all at once.
- PAGAR EM ESPÉCIE: to pay in cash.
- PARCELAR COMPRAS (CARTÃO DE CRÉDITO): to split a purchase into installments on a credit card.
- PARCELAR SEM JUROS: to pay in interest-free installments.
- NEGOCIAR À VISTA: to ask for a discount for paying in full.
- PIX - PAGAMENTO: a free instant transfer, made with a key like your CPF or cell phone number.
- SACAR DINHEIRO: to withdraw money from an ATM or the bank.
- FAZER UM SAQUE: to make a withdrawal.
- TAXAS - CAIXAS ELETRÔNICOS: the fees ATMs charge.
- 13º SALÁRIO: an extra month's pay at the end of the year, a year-end bonus that's required by law in Brazil (How it works in Brazil).
- ATOLADO EM DÍVIDAS: drowning in debt.
- QUITAR AS DÍVIDAS: to pay off all your debts; careful, "quitar" doesn't mean "to quit".
From the bank to the store: documents, nota fiscal and high prices
This part goes from the "boca do caixa" to the store: how to ask for a nota fiscal, what Procon is and which documents you'll be asked for, and then how to say something is super expensive, that it costs "os olhos da cara" or "um rim". If CPF, RG or CNH get you tangled up, I explain them all in Brazilian Portuguese acronyms.
- CARRO / CASA QUITADA: a car or house that's fully paid off.
- BOCA DO CAIXA: the bank teller window; paying "na boca do caixa" means paying at the teller.
- DOCUMENTOS - RG, CPF, CNH, CNPJ: ID card, individual taxpayer number, driver's license and a company's tax registration number.
- FILIAÇÃO NOS DOCUMENTOS: the father's and mother's names printed on the ID.
- PROCON: the consumer protection agency.
- NOTA FISCAL: the official receipt or invoice for a purchase.
- DOCUMENTO ESTRANGEIRO - RNE / RNM: ID for foreign residents; the RNM replaced the RNE.
- QUEM VAI SACAR?: who's going to withdraw the money?
- SACAR ALGO: in slang, to get something, to understand it; "sacou?" means "got it?".
Ways to say something is super expensive
- OLHOS DA CARA / NOTA E GRANA PRETA: "custar os olhos da cara" is to cost an arm and a leg; "uma nota" and "uma grana preta" mean a fortune.
- TÁ PELA HORA DA MORTE: it's crazy expensive, prices are through the roof.
- PREÇO SALGADO / PREÇO ALTO: a very steep price.
- UM ROUBO / CUSTA UM RIM: it's a rip-off; it costs a kidney.
- CUSTAR UMA "BAGATELA": to cost a trifle; almost always said ironically when something is expensive.
- LEILOAR / LEILÃO - ARREMATAR / ARREMATADO: to auction / auction; to win something at an auction / the item that was won.
- SOBRE A OSTENTAÇÃO: showing off, flaunting luxury to look rich.
- ROUPA DE GRIFE: designer or brand-name clothes.
A video I recorded about consumerism.
How to say something is cheap in Portuguese
To say something is cheap in Portuguese we use barato or em conta, and if it's practically a giveaway, "a preço de banana", "uma pechincha" or "0800", which means free. You'll also see the verb pechinchar, which means to haggle, something we Brazilians do at any street market.
- TÁ NOS PREÇOS: the price is fair, it's reasonable.
- BOM CUSTO BENEFÍCIO: good value for money.
- PREÇO RAZOÁVEL / PREÇO JUSTO - NESSA FAIXA: a reasonable or fair price; "nessa faixa" means "in that range".
- CELEBRAÇÃO E OVOS DE PÁSCOA NO BRASIL: chocolate Easter eggs, famous for being pricey.
- BARATO / DE GRAÇA / 0800: cheap; free; "0800" also means free, after toll-free phone numbers.
- A PREÇO DE BANANA / UMA PECHINCHA: dirt cheap; a bargain.
- VERBO PECHINCHAR: to haggle, to ask for a lower price.
- PECHINCHEIRO / REGATEAR / PREÇO ACESSÍVEL: someone who always haggles; an affordable price.
- AFFORDABLE / ACCESSIBLE (ENGLISH): in Portuguese, both are "acessível".
29 differences between Portuguese and Spanish.
- LIQUIDA TUDO / LIQUIDAÇÃO - PREÇOS LÁ EMBAIXO: clearance sale, rock-bottom prices.
- QUEIMA DE ESTOQUE / PONTA DE ESTOQUE: inventory clearance; outlet or end-of-line stock.
- ENCALHADO NO ESTOQUE (VERBO ENCALHAR): a product nobody buys that just sits on the shelf.
- MAIS EM CONTA: cheaper, more affordable.
- BOTA FORA: blowout sale, everything must go.
Video about BOTAR, COLOCAR, PÔR.
- PREÇO DE FÁBRICA: factory price, no middlemen.
- PREÇO DE VAREJO / ATACADO / EMPRESA VAREJISTA E ATACADISTA: retail price / wholesale price; retail and wholesale company.
- ATACAREJO (Mix of Atacado and Varejo): a supermarket that sells both wholesale and retail.
How to say someone is "stingy" in Portuguese
And what do you call someone who never lets go of their money? In Brazil we have "mão de vaca", "pão duro", "mesquinho" and "muquirana", and each one has its own nuance. I explain them all, with examples, in how to say stingy in Portuguese.
- MESQUINHA / MUQUIRANA: petty, stingy; a "muquirana" is someone stingy to the extreme.
- TACANHO EM PORTUGUÊS: mostly means narrow-minded; it's not the usual way to say stingy.
19 expressions with MÃO in Portuguese.
Pau and Pão - Pronunciation and Expressions
How to say someone has a lot of money in Portuguese
To say someone has a lot of money in Portuguese we say they're endinheirado or estribado, or that they "nasceu em berço de ouro" (were born with a silver spoon in their mouth); if they live like the rich, they've got a "vida de barão". And when the amount is huge, we talk about "uma bolada" or "um montão de dinheiro".
- GENTE DA ALTA / CLASSE ALTA - NASCER EM BERÇO DE OURO: upper-class people; to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth (literally, "in a golden cradle").
- BARÃO / VIDA DE BARÃO / A NATA: a rich person; the high life; "a nata" is the cream of the crop, the elite.
- ENDINHEIRADO / PESSOA ESTRIBADA: wealthy; a person with lots of money.
- PESSOA CHIQUE: an elegant, classy person.
- LUGAR CHIQUE: a fancy, expensive place.
- PESSOA NUTELLA: slang for a pampered person with fancy tastes, the opposite of "raiz" (down-to-earth, old school).
What AGIOTA / AGIOTAGEM means
An illegal moneylender who charges sky-high interest, in other words, a loan shark.
- DIFERENÇA ENTRE GANÂNCIA E AMBIÇÃO: ganância is greed (negative); ambição is ambition.
- MEGA DA VIRADA: Brazil's New Year's Eve lottery, with the biggest prize of the year.
- BOLADA DE DINHEIRO: a fortune, a ton of money.
- VIRADA DO ANO: New Year's Eve.
- CARALHADA DE DINHEIRO / MONTÃO DE DINHEIRO: a crazy amount of money; "caralhada" is vulgar.
Different ways to use VIRAR in Portuguese.
14 expressions with BOLA in Portuguese.
The most common swear words in Brazil.
EXTRA
- VERBO BROCHAR: to lose an erection; figuratively, to lose your enthusiasm.
- HOMEM BROCHA: an impotent man (vulgar).
- BROCHA GORDA: a thick paintbrush, the kind used to paint walls.
- ALGO BROCHANTE: something that's a letdown or kills the mood.
All the synonyms for penis and vagina in Portuguese
Frequently asked questions about money in Portuguese
Money in Portuguese is dinheiro, spelled with "nh", which sounds like the "ny" in "canyon". It's the neutral word used at banks, in stores and in everyday conversation.
The most common one is grana, used all over Brazil. You'll also hear bufunfa, tutu, dindim and cascalho, and for amounts people say conto, pau or pila.
No. Unlike "plata" in Latin American Spanish, "prata" isn't used for money, because in Brazil that word mainly refers to the metal, silver. To say "I'm broke", we say "tô sem grana" or "não tenho dinheiro".
Cash is dinheiro em espécie in a more formal context, or dinheiro vivo in casual speech. A bill is a nota or cédula, a coin is a moeda and your change is the troco.
The Brazilian currency is the real, plural reais, with the symbol R$. Each real is worth 100 centavos, and bills range from 2 to 200 reais.
Pix, the Central Bank's instant transfer system. In the second half of 2025 it accounted for 54.7% of all transactions in the country, but credit cards are still widely used in stores.
More resources to Learn Portuguese Faster
- [PDF] Learn Brazilian Portuguese – Complete Guide and Study Path
- How to Learn Brazilian Portuguese Faster (Practical Tips)
- How to Understand Spoken Portuguese More Easily
- How to Speak Portuguese with Confidence
- How to Read in Portuguese and Improve Comprehension
- How to Write in Portuguese Step by Step
- How Long Does It Take to Learn Portuguese?
