Currency Converter

How currency conversion works

Every conversion on this page runs through the US dollar, because the sample rates are stored as "units of currency per 1 US dollar." To convert, the calculator first turns your amount into dollars, then turns those dollars into your target currency. Converting 1,500 Mexican pesos to dollars at an indicative 17 pesos per dollar, for example, means dividing 1,500 by 17. The same logic works in reverse for any pair: euros to rupees, pounds to dirhams, or yen to Canadian dollars all pass through the dollar rate for each side. That is why the result panel always shows you the exact cross rate used, not just the final number. If the rate looks wrong for the day you are traveling or sending money, the conversion will be off by the same proportion, which is precisely why the rates here are labeled indicative rather than live.

It also helps to know why the amount you finally receive is usually a little less than any converter suggests. Banks, card networks, and money-transfer services rarely give you the mid-market rate you see quoted in the news. They add a spread, commonly 1–4%, plus sometimes a flat fee, and cash at an airport bureau can cost far more. A converter like this one tells you what your money is worth at the reference rate; treat anything within a few percent of that figure as a fair deal, and be suspicious of any service advertising a rate noticeably better than the reference rate, because the difference is usually recovered in fees instead.

Practical tips before you exchange money

Convert the amount you will actually spend, not round numbers, and check the rate on the day of the transaction rather than the day you planned the trip. For large transfers, compare at least two providers on the total received, not the headline rate. Avoid exchanging at airports when you can, pay in the local currency when a card terminal offers you a choice (choosing dollars usually means accepting the merchant's worse rate), and remember that a handful of currencies here, such as the UAE dirham and Saudi riyal, are pegged to the US dollar, so their dollar rates barely move at all.