“Back in 2014 and the beginning of 2015, a lot of the hotels were bought out by operators paying in dollars — and at much higher prices for the rooms — because the real was much stronger then. People who had invested in purchasing these blocks a year or two ago now want to drop the prices, because they’re afraid they’re going to get stuck with unsold inventory, so prices have come down 15 to 20 percent for some of the lower-end properties.”  To save even more, look to AirBnB, which is an official sponsor of the Games and which announced that it would have 25,000 accommodation options available.  “While apartments are averaging around $300 a night, if you want, say, a single room in Copacabana, you can find one for $31,” Ms. Greene said. “There are plenty of options in neighborhoods near the stadiums.”  She also recommends AlltheRooms.com, which aggregates information from several home-sharing sites like VRBO, HomeAway and Flipkey.  So, you can get to the Games and you’ve found a place to stay, but what about the events themselves? A handful are sold out, but there are still tickets available for most, even golf, which is making its Olympics debut this year. Just 67 percent of tickets had been sold as of May 20, many fewer than at this point before the 2012 London Games. This is a result of — at least in part — slow domestic sales, according to Donovan Ferreti, ticketing director, who predicts that this will improve. “It’s part of Brazilian culture to buy tickets closer to the date. With the World Cup, we saw a spike in sales closer to the event.”  There are other factors to consider, too. Brazil has waived its usual visa requirements for travel between June 1 and Sept. 18 for citizens of the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia (Americans normally pay $160 for a visa). Visitors can pick up a Rio Cultural Passport for 15 reals, which gives free or discounted access to more than 700 cultural attractions and events, as well as discounted weekend metro fares during the Games.  For those who would rather avoid the subway, Bike Rio has bicycle rental stations in the neighborhoods where the majority of Olympic events are taking place: Copacabana, Barra, Deodoro and Maracanã. These cost 5 reals for an hour (a single ticket on the subway is 4.10 reals), and they are an easy way to get around if you’re staying in those areas.  Then there’s the time difference: While attendees flying from the East Coast to London and Beijing had to contend with time differences of five and 12 hours, respectively, there’s just a one-hour difference between New York and Rio de Janeiro, which means that there’s no losing a day to the fog of jet lag. And while travelers should exercise caution when it comes to Zika, August is winter in Brazil, the period in which transmission of mosquito-borne diseases is lowest.  “Probably the biggest value advantage consumers will find is the last-minute thing — they’re going to get a better deal now than they would have for Beijing or London,” Ms. Carter said. “If you’ve been thinking about going, the price in most cases should be lower than it was a year ago,” she added, although she cautioned that it might not be quite as much of a bargain as consumers are anticipating.  “Most people don’t have an understanding that Brazil is a relatively expensive destination, with or without the Olympics,” she said. “They think it must be like Mexico. But there are certainly more deals than there were six months ago.”  It’s the rare case of procrastinators reaping significant (financial) rewards. “With these last-minute deals, it’s going to be great; the city’s going to be spectacular, and it’s really a fantastic event,” Ms. Carter said. “It’s such an outdoor, athletic city with so much sports enthusiasm. You just have to get there.”
A strong dollar and cheap airfare and lodging options are among the reasons a trip to the Olympics in Rio can be a good value.