Currency Converter
Convert money at today’s reference rates, then see what you would really get once a bank or card takes its cut.
US dollar
Euro
Charged in the currency you send, before converting.
Card and bank margins are often 1–3%; airport and hotel counters can take 10% or more. Your statement or the provider's quote shows the real rate.
Leave blank for the latest rates. Weekends and holidays use the last working day.
At the mid-market rate. Your list is saved on this device.
Quick conversion table
How your conversion is worked out
Every pair goes through the euro: amount × (to rate ÷ from rate).
- 1
ECB euro rates
1 EUR = 1.1600 USDEUR is the base
- 2
Cross rate
1 ÷ 1.1600= 0.862071 USD = 0.86207 EUR
- 3
Convert
1,000.00 USD× 0.86207= 862.07 EUR
- 4
Inverse rate
1 ÷ 0.862071 EUR = 1.1600 USD
Read more: the formula, worked examples, pegged Gulf currencies and bank margins
A currency converter multiplies your amount by an exchange rate. This one uses the reference rates the European Central Bank (ECB) publishes each working day. The ECB quotes every currency against the euro, so any other pair is worked out through the euro: a cross rate. These are mid-market rates, halfway between the buying and selling price. Banks, cards and exchange counters give you a worse rate than this and may add a fee, so Advanced mode shows what you would really get.
The formula
rate (1 from = ? to) = to's euro rate ÷ from's euro rate
amount you get = amount × rate
inverse rate = 1 ÷ rate
with costs: you get = (amount − fee) × rate × (1 − margin% ÷ 100)
to receive a set amount: send = amount wanted ÷ (rate × (1 − margin% ÷ 100)) + fee
Worked example
Say the ECB lists 1 EUR = 1.1600 USD. To change 1,000 USD to euros, the rate is 1 ÷ 1.1600 = 0.86207, so 1,000 × 0.86207 = 862.07 EUR. The inverse rate is 1 EUR = 1.1600 USD.
Now a bank gives you a rate 2.5% worse than that and charges a 5 USD fee. It takes the fee first, leaving 995 USD. Then 995 × 0.86207 × 0.975 = 836.31 EUR. That is 25.75 EUR less than the mid-market 862.07 EUR, which is 29.88 USD (5 USD fee + 24.88 USD margin), or about 2.99% of what you sent. If you need 836.31 EUR to arrive, you would send 836.31 ÷ (0.86207 × 0.975) + 5 = 1,000 USD.
A cross rate
If 1 EUR = 1.1600 USD and 1 EUR = 101.00 INR, then 1 USD = 101.00 ÷ 1.1600 = 87.0690 INR, and 1,000 USD = 87,068.97 INR. The other way, 1 INR = 1 ÷ 87.0690 = 0.011485 USD.
Gulf currencies pegged to the US dollar
The UAE dirham, Saudi riyal and Qatari riyal are held at a fixed rate to the US dollar, and the ECB doesn't list them. So this converter works them out from the ECB's dollar rate. For example, 1,000 AED = 1,000 ÷ 3.6725 = 272.29 USD, every day.
| Currency | Fixed rate |
|---|---|
| 🇦🇪 UAE dirham (AED) | 1 USD = 3.6725 AED |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi riyal (SAR) | 1 USD = 3.75 SAR |
| 🇶🇦 Qatari riyal (QAR) | 1 USD = 3.64 QAR |
How to get a better rate
- When a card machine or cash machine abroad offers to charge you in your home currency, say no and pay in the local currency. The machine's own rate is usually much worse.
- Avoid changing cash at airports and hotels, where margins are highest.
- Compare a provider's quote with the mid-market rate here. The gap is their margin, even when they say "no fee".
- For big transfers, the margin matters more than a small fixed fee. Put both in Advanced mode to see the full cost.
Rates are the ECB's euro foreign exchange reference rates, loaded live from the free Frankfurter service and saved on your device so the converter still works offline. They are for information, not for trading; the rate you get from a bank or card will differ. Gulf pegs checked on 10 October 2026.
Common questions
Where do the exchange rates come from?
The converter uses the reference rates the European Central Bank publishes each working day, loaded from the free Frankfurter service. They are mid-market rates, halfway between the buying and selling price, and are saved on your device so the converter still works offline. They are for information, not for trading.
Why is my bank's rate different from this one?
Banks, cards and exchange counters give you a worse rate than the mid-market rate and may add a fee on top. The gap between their rate and the mid-market rate is their margin, even when they say there's no fee. Advanced mode shows what you would really get after a margin and a fee.
What is the mid-market rate?
It's the rate halfway between the price at which a currency is bought and the price at which it is sold. It's a fair benchmark for comparing quotes from banks and money transfer services, but you'll rarely be given it yourself when you change money.
What is a cross rate?
It's a rate between two currencies worked out through a third one. The ECB quotes every currency against the euro, so if 1 EUR = 1.1600 USD and 1 EUR = 101.00 INR, then 1 USD = 101.00 ÷ 1.1600 = 87.0690 INR.
Why don't the AED, SAR and QAR rates change against the dollar?
The UAE dirham, Saudi riyal and Qatari riyal are held at a fixed rate to the US dollar: 1 USD = 3.6725 AED, 3.75 SAR and 3.64 QAR. The ECB doesn't list them, so the converter works them out from the ECB's dollar rate.
Should I pay in local currency or my home currency abroad?
Pay in the local currency. When a card machine or cash machine abroad offers to charge you in your home currency, say no, because the machine's own rate is usually much worse. Avoid changing cash at airports and hotels too, where margins are highest.
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