Stay away from the imported goods, stick the local goods and you will save a fortune.
Drink local beer and local spirits, the locally made Smirnoff tastes the same as in the rest of the world, and costs a lot less than the imported. Be careful of some of the Cachaças (sugar cane rum) as some of them are lethal.
Stick to locally produced fresh food and you will also save a bundle.
If you are buying a place then usually it will come furnished or you have the option to have it furnished including all your whitegoods, so the price of furniture and whitegoods for most gringoes shouldn't be a problem
