How to Calculate Exchange Rate: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (2024)

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1Doing the Math Yourself

2Using Other Conversion Tools

3Exchanging Currency

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Reviewed byAlex Kwan

Last Updated: March 8, 2024References

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If you're planning to go abroad and exchange your money for another currency, it's a good idea to figure out how much cash you'll have after the exchange. Also, knowing exactly how much your money is worth can prevent you from being charged unreasonable fees because you'll be able to calculate your losses and choose which method to use if you plan in advance. Being aware of how much your foreign currency is worth is a smart travel move that can potentially save you quite a bit of trouble.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Doing the Math Yourself

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  1. 1

    Estimate the amount of money you wish to exchange. Think about how much money you're budgeting for the trip. Or, if you know how much money you'll need in the other country, work backwards and start with the foreign currency.

  2. 2

    Look up the exchange rate of the currency to which you wish to convert. You can find this information on a Google search, or on several banking or financial websites.

    • Note that you want to set the currency you have to 1; the value listed next to the currency you're exchanging to is the exchange rate.

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  3. 3

    Calculate how much money you'll have after the exchange. Multiply the money you've budgeted by the exchange rate. The answer is how much money you'll have after the exchange. If "a" is the money you have in one currency and "b" is the exchange rate, then "c" is how much money you'll have after the exchange. So a * b = c, and a = c/b.

    • For instance, say you want to convert Euros to US dollars. At the time of this revision, 1 Euro is worth 1.09 US dollar. Your exchange rate is 1.09. If you're planning on taking $1500 Euros with you, you would multiply 1500 by 1.09. The answer, 1632.61, is how much money you'll have in dollars after the exchange.
    • Here's an example of the "work backwards" method. Say that you know you'll need 20,000 Hungarian forints for your trip. You discover that 1 US dollar is equivalent to 226.43 forints. To figure out how many US dollars you would need to save at the current exchange rate, divide 20,000 by 226.43. The answer, 88.33, is how many US dollars you need to exchange.
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  1. 1

    Check for an up-to-date conversion rate online. There are many websites[1][2] that constantly update their site with the current conversion rates for currencies around the world. These are good places to look for the exchange rate, then use the equation in Step 3 above to calculate currency totals.

  2. 2

    Contact the government for accurate exchange rates. You can contact the Department of Treasury[3] or other governmental agencies[4] to get up-to-date information about exchange rates for converting currency.

  3. 3

    Google the conversion you want to know. Simply type into a Google search bar what conversion you want to make and Google will tell you the answer using their currency converter.

    • For example, if you want to know what the exchange rate for $1,000 US to Euros is, type 1000 dollars to euros in any Google search bar and it will tell you the answer.
    • However, because Google's finance converter does not constantly track and update current currency exchange rates, this information is more of an estimate and should not be relied on as accurate up-to-the-minute data.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Exchanging Currency

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  1. 1

    Ask your bank. Many banks, especially larger ones like Bank of America or Wells Fargo, keep foreign currency on hand in the branch.[5] You can go to the bank and pick them up directly or order them online. And, even if you are not a customer, these banks will usually allow you to exchange currency for a fee.

    • If your bank's branch does not keep he currency on hand, they can often order it for you. This usually takes about 2-5 business days.[6]
    • Note: Many smaller banks and credit unions are unable to exchange foreign currency.[7]
  2. 2

    Use a currency exchange service. Most major airports have currency exchange services that use companies like Travelex[8] to help travelers exchange their home country's money when they arrive in a new destination.

    • These services often charge much higher fees than exchanging currency at a bank because they are in prime locations (like airports) where people need local currency quickly.
  3. 3

    Use an ATM in a foreign country. Sometimes the easiest way to exchange money is to simply use your card at an ATM while you are traveling. Your bank will probably charge you a foreign transaction fee that is a percentage of the entire amount withdrawn (usually 1-3%)[9] in addition to other fees for using another bank's ATM.

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Exchange Rate Calculator

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  • Question

    I have the USA amount and the Canadian amount, how do I calculate the exchange rate?

    How to Calculate Exchange Rate: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (16)

    Community Answer

    Division. Canadian money divided by American money equals the exchange rate from USA to Canada. The opposite makes the exchange rate for the other direction, C/A=R.

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    Thank you for your feedback.
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  • Question

    At a rate of 1.5625 Swiss franc per dollar, what is $50 in Swiss francs?

    How to Calculate Exchange Rate: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (17)

    Community Answer

    The equation you need is 1.5625 x 50 = 78.125 Swiss francs.

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  • Question

    I have an international hotel bill (JPY) that has an exchange rate of .0093 USD. How do I calculate the daily hotel charge?

    How to Calculate Exchange Rate: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (18)

    Blake Nouribekian

    Community Answer

    If your hotel bill was 100,000 Yen and you multiply it by .0093 you get $930 USD. Divide that by how many days you stayed.

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      Tips

      • Always use up-to-date rate tables to figure your exchange rates. Currency exchange rates fluctuate frequently. While you can get a rough estimate using old rates, if one or the other currency changes value, and you are exchanging large amounts of currency, it can add up to a lot.

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      About This Article

      How to Calculate Exchange Rate: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (28)

      Reviewed by:

      Alex Kwan

      Certified Public Accountant

      This article was reviewed by Alex Kwan. Alex Kwan is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and the CEO of Flex Tax and Consulting Group in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has also served as a Vice President for one of the top five Private Equity Firms. With over a decade of experience practicing public accounting, he specializes in client-centered accounting and consulting, R&D tax services, and the small business sector. This article has been viewed 927,982 times.

      50 votes - 72%

      Co-authors: 38

      Updated: March 8, 2024

      Views:927,982

      Categories: Foreign Exchange Market

      Article SummaryX

      To calculate exchange rate, multiply the money you have by the current exchange rate, which you can find through Google or by calling the Department of the Treasury. For example, if you want to convert $100 to pesos when 1 dollar equals 19.22 pesos, then you would have 1,922 pesos after the exchange. If you know how much money you’ll need in the other country, you can divide that number by the exchange rate to see how many dollars you need to exchange. To learn where and how to exchange money, read on!

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      How to Calculate Exchange Rate: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow (2024)

      FAQs

      What is the formula for calculating exchange rates? ›

      If you don't know the exchange rate, you can use the following simple currency conversion calculation to find it: take your starting amount (original currency) and divide it by ending amount (new currency) = exchange rate.

      How do you calculate the exchange rate? ›

      Calculating an FX rate: The formula

      Calculate an FX rate using this simple formula: Your starting figure (in your local currency) divided by the final number (in the new foreign currency) = the exchange rate.

      What is the formula for the exchange rate movement? ›

      Know the country's exchange rate before you travel – these are usually posted online and at banks, airports and currency exchange shops. If you don't know the exchange rate, you can use this formula: starting amount (base currency) / ending amount (foreign currency) = exchange rate.

      How do you calculate the real exchange rate example? ›

      If the German price is 2.5 euros and the U.S. price is $3.40, then (1.36) X (2.5) ÷ 3.40 yields an RER of 1. But if the German price were 3 euros and the U.S. price $3.40, the RER would be 1.36 X 3 ÷ 3.40, for an RER of 1.2.

      What is the math for the exchange rate? ›

      Multiply the money you've budgeted by the exchange rate. The answer is how much money you'll have after the exchange. If "a" is the money you have in one currency and "b" is the exchange rate, then "c" is how much money you'll have after the exchange. So a * b = c, and a = c/b.

      How do exchange rates work for dummies? ›

      The exchange rate gives the relative value of one currency against another currency. An exchange rate GBP/USD of two, for example, indicates that one pound will buy two U.S. dollars. The U.S. dollar is the most commonly used reference currency, which means other currencies are usually quoted against the U.S. dollar.

      How to calculate conversion rate? ›

      Conversion rates are calculated by simply taking the number of conversions and dividing that by the number of total ad interactions that can be tracked to a conversion during the same time period. For example, if you had 50 conversions from 1,000 interactions, your conversion rate would be 5%, since 50 ÷ 1,000 = 5%.

      What is the exchange rate method? ›

      An exchange rate is the rate at which one currency can be exchanged for another currency. Most exchange rates are defined as floating. They'll rise or fall based on supply and demand in the market. Some exchange rates are pegged or fixed to the value of a specific country's currency.

      How to calculate average exchange rate? ›

      This method calculates the average exchange rate for these transactions as a result of dividing total amount of all earlier transactions in the foreign currency by total amount of all earlier transactions in the accounting currency. The resulting exchange rate is then assigned to outgoing transaction.

      What is the equation of exchange formula? ›

      Fisher's equation of exchange is MV=PT, where M = money supply, V = velocity of money, P = price level, and T = transactions. When T cannot be obtained, it is often substituted with Y, which is national income (nominal GDP).

      What is the formula for the effective exchange rate? ›

      REER = (NEER * CPI Domestic) / (CPI Foreign)

      REER stands for Real Effective Exchange Rate. NEER signifies Nominal Effective Exchange Rate. CPI Domestic refers to the Consumer Price Index of the domestic nation. CPI Foreign represents the Consumer Price Index of the foreign country/countries in the currency basket.

      Do you multiply or divide to convert currency? ›

      It is easy to confuse whether you need to multiply or divide by the exchange rate. One way to remember is with the rule: If you are going from the “1” to the other currency then multiply. If you are going to the “1” from the other currency then divide.

      How to measure exchange rate? ›

      To calculate the exchange rate, multiply the value of one currency by the corresponding value of another currency. For example, to find out how many US dollars you would get for 100 euros, you would multiply the value of 100 euros by the exchange rate between euros and US dollars.

      What is an exchange rate example? ›

      For example, an AUD/USD exchange rate of 0.75 means that you will get US75 cents for every AUD1 that is converted to US dollars.

      What is the formula for return on the exchange rate? ›

      For a dollar investor, the rate of return on a foreign deposit depends on the foreign interest rate, the spot exchange rate, and the exchange rate expected to prevail at the time the deposit is redeemed: In particular, R o R £ = E $/£ e E $/£ ( 1 + i £ ) − 1 .

      What is the equation for the real exchange rate? ›

      the core equation is ReR=eP*/P, where, in our example, e is the nominal dollar-euro exchange rate, P* is the average price of a good in the euro area, and P is the average price of the good in the United States.

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