Quick and Dirty Monetary Conversions – The Americas: Do it in your head and forget about the calculators
Confused by foreign bills on your trip? Use this guide for easy, in-your-head currency conversions across the Americas—no calculator or stress required.
Let’s be honest: when I travel, the last thing I want to do is 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒉. I’m here for the sights, the smells, the questionable street food, and maybe a little mischief in a language I can barely pronounce. What I’m not here for is standing at a market stall, clutching strange bills, and trying to remember if I’m supposed to multiply, divide, or just cross my fingers and hope I don’t get fleeced.
This page isn’t about exact numbers. You’re not moving millions on the foreign exchange; you’re just trying to figure out if that souvenir mug is five bucks or fifty. That’s where rules of thumb come in handy. Quick, dirty, “good enough” math. Is a hundred thousand Colombian pesos really $24.25? Maybe. But it’s close enough to call it $25 and get on with your day. Anyone who’s ever shelled out a hundred bucks for a ten-dollar hamburger knows the pain of bad conversion math.
𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒖𝒈𝒖𝒔𝒕 3, 2025. 𝑬𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚, 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒓, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒂𝒓.
INSTRUCTIONS
Find your country from the list below. Each entry gives you the name of the monetary unit, the current exchange rate and then a quick and dirty conversion from USD and another quick and dirty from the monetary unit back to USD
Then there is a short chart that shows the most common bill denominations and gives you the rough equivalent value in USD.
Table of Contents
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Argentina – Argentine Peso (ARS)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 1,350 ARS
- USD → ARS: Multiply by 1,400 (safety buffer)
- ARS → USD: Drop three zeros, then multiply by 0.8
(e.g., 10,000 ARS → 10 × 0.8 = $8)
|
ARS |
Drop three zeros ×0.8 |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
1,000 |
1 × 0.8 = $0.80 |
$0.80 |
$0.74 |
|
2,000 |
2 × 0.8 = $1.60 |
$1.60 |
$1.48 |
|
5,000 |
5 × 0.8 = $4.00 |
$4.00 |
$3.70 |
|
10,000 |
10 × 0.8 = $8.00 |
$8.00 |
$7.40 |
|
20,000 |
20 × 0.8 = $16.00 |
$16.00 |
$14.81 |
|
50,000 |
50 × 0.8 = $40.00 |
$40.00 |
$37.04 |
|
100,000 |
100 × 0.8 = $80.00 |
$80.00 |
$74.07 |
Bolivia – Boliviano (BOB)
>Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 6.9 BOB
- USD → BOB: Multiply by 7
- BOB → USD: Move decimal one position left, then multiply by 1.5
(e.g., 200 BOB → 20 × 1.5 = $30)
|
BOB |
.1 left ×1.5 |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
10 |
1 × 1.5 = $1.50 |
$1.50 |
$1.45 |
|
20 |
2 × 1.5 = $3.00 |
$3.00 |
$2.90 |
|
50 |
5 × 1.5 = $7.50 |
$7.50 |
$7.25 |
|
100 |
10 × 1.5 = $15.00 |
$15.00 |
$14.50 |
|
200 |
20 × 1.5 = $30.00 |
$30.00 |
$29.03 |
Brazil – Real (BRL)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 5.54 BRL
- USD → BRL: Multiply by 6
- BRL → USD: Move decimal one position left, then multiply by 2
(e.g., 50 BRL → 5 × 2 = $10)
|
BRL |
.1 left ×2 |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
2 |
0.2 × 2 = $0.40 |
$0.40 |
$0.36 |
|
5 |
0.5 × 2 = $1.00 |
$1.00 |
$0.90 |
|
10 |
1 × 2 = $2.00 |
$2.00 |
$1.81 |
|
20 |
2 × 2 = $4.00 |
$4.00 |
$3.62 |
|
50 |
5 × 2 = $10.00 |
$10.00 |
$9.03 |
|
100 |
10 × 2 = $20.00 |
$20.00 |
$18.06 |
Canada – Canadian Dollar (CAD)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 1.36 CAD
- USD → CAD: Multiply by 1.4
- CAD → USD: Move decimal one position left, then multiply by 7
|
CAD |
.1 left ×7 |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
5 |
0.5 × 7 = $3.50 |
$3.50 |
$3.68 |
|
10 |
1 × 7 = $7.00 |
$7.00 |
$7.35 |
|
20 |
2 × 7 = $14.00 |
$14.00 |
$14.70 |
|
50 |
5 × 7 = $35.00 |
$35.00 |
$36.76 |
|
100 |
10 × 7 = $70.00 |
$70.00 |
$73.53 |
Chile – Chilean Peso (CLP)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 959 CLP
- USD → CLP: Multiply by 1,000
- CLP → USD: Move decimal three positions left
(e.g., 10,000 CLP → 10)
|
CLP |
.3 left |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
1,000 |
$1.00 |
$1.00 |
$1.04 |
|
2,000 |
$2.00 |
$2.00 |
$2.08 |
|
5,000 |
$5.00 |
$5.00 |
$5.21 |
|
10,000 |
$10.00 |
$10.00 |
$10.42 |
|
20,000 |
$20.00 |
$20.00 |
$20.85 |
Colombia – Colombian Peso (COP)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 4,123 COP
- USD → COP: Multiply by 4,200
- COP → USD: Move decimal three positions left, then multiply by 0.25 (or divide by 4)
(e.g., 20,000 COP → 20 × 0.25 = $5)
|
COP |
.3 left ×0.25 |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
2,000 |
2 × 0.25 = $0.50 |
$0.50 |
$0.49 |
|
5,000 |
5 × 0.25 = $1.25 |
$1.25 |
$1.21 |
|
10,000 |
10 × 0.25 = $2.50 |
$2.50 |
$2.42 |
|
20,000 |
20 × 0.25 = $5.00 |
$5.00 |
$4.85 |
|
50,000 |
50 × 0.25 = $12.50 |
$12.50 |
$12.13 |
|
100,000 |
100 × 0.25 = $25.00 |
$25.00 |
$24.26 |
Costa Rica – Colón (CRC)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 517 CRC
- USD → CRC: Multiply by 500
- CRC → USD: Move decimal three positions left, then multiply by 2
(e.g., 5,000 CRC → 5 × 2 = $10)
|
CRC |
.3 left ×2 |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
1,000 |
1 × 2 = $2.00 |
$2.00 |
$1.93 |
|
2,000 |
2 × 2 = $4.00 |
$4.00 |
$3.87 |
|
5,000 |
5 × 2 = $10.00 |
$10.00 |
$9.67 |
|
10,000 |
10 × 2 = $20.00 |
$20.00 |
$19.34 |
|
20,000 |
20 × 2 = $40.00 |
$40.00 |
$38.68 |
|
50,000 |
50 × 2 = $100.00 |
$100.00 |
$96.77 |
Ecuador – US Dollar (USD)
Current Rate: Official currency is the US Dollar.
- Note: U.S. dollars are used for all transactions. No conversion required.
El Salvador – US Dollar (USD)
Current Rate: Official currency is the US Dollar.
- Note: U.S. dollars are used for all transactions. No conversion required.
Guatemala – Quetzal (GTQ)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 7.85 GTQ
- USD → GTQ: Multiply by 8
- GTQ → USD: Move decimal one position left, then multiply by 1.5
(e.g., 200 GTQ → 20 × 1.5 = $30)
|
GTQ |
.1 left ×1.5 |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
5 |
0.5 × 1.5 = $0.75 |
$0.75 |
$0.64 |
|
10 |
1 × 1.5 = $1.50 |
$1.50 |
$1.27 |
|
20 |
2 × 1.5 = $3.00 |
$3.00 |
$2.55 |
|
50 |
5 × 1.5 = $7.50 |
$7.50 |
$6.37 |
|
100 |
10 × 1.5 = $15.00 |
$15.00 |
$12.74 |
|
200 |
20 × 1.5 = $30.00 |
$30.00 |
$25.48 |
Honduras – Lempira (HNL)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 24.7 HNL
- USD → HNL: Multiply by 25
- HNL → USD: Move decimal one position left, then multiply by 0.4
(e.g., 200 HNL → 20 × 0.4 = $8)
|
HNL |
.1 left ×0.4 |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
20 |
2 × 0.4 = $0.80 |
$0.80 |
$0.81 |
|
50 |
5 × 0.4 = $2.00 |
$2.00 |
$2.02 |
|
100 |
10 × 0.4 = $4.00 |
$4.00 |
$4.05 |
|
200 |
20 × 0.4 = $8.00 |
$8.00 |
$8.10 |
|
500 |
50 × 0.4 = $20.00 |
$20.00 |
$20.24 |
Mexico – Peso (MXN)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 18.86 MXN
- USD → MXN: Multiply by 20
- MXN → USD: Move decimal one position left, then halve
(e.g., 200 MXN → 20, ÷2 = $10)
|
MXN |
.1 left, halve |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
20 |
2 ÷ 2 = $1.00 |
$1.00 |
$1.06 |
|
50 |
5 ÷ 2 = $2.50 |
$2.50 |
$2.65 |
|
100 |
10 ÷ 2 = $5.00 |
$5.00 |
$5.30 |
|
200 |
20 ÷ 2 = $10.00 |
$10.00 |
$10.61 |
|
500 |
50 ÷ 2 = $25.00 |
$25.00 |
$26.53 |
|
1,000 |
100 ÷ 2 = $50.00 |
$50.00 |
$53.05 |
Nicaragua – Córdoba (NIO)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 36.6 NIO
- USD → NIO: Multiply by 37
- NIO → USD: Move decimal one position left, then multiply by 0.3
(e.g., 200 NIO → 20 × 0.3 = $6.00)
|
NIO |
.1 left ×0.3 |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
20 |
2 × 0.3 = $0.60 |
$0.60 |
$0.55 |
|
50 |
5 × 0.3 = $1.50 |
$1.50 |
$1.37 |
|
100 |
10 × 0.3 = $3.00 |
$3.00 |
$2.73 |
|
200 |
20 × 0.3 = $6.00 |
$6.00 |
$5.46 |
|
500 |
50 × 0.3 = $15.00 |
$15.00 |
$13.66 |
|
1,000 |
100 × 0.3 = $30.00 |
$30.00 |
$27.32 |
Panama – US Dollar (USD)
Current Rate: Official currency is the US Dollar.
- Note: U.S. dollars are used for all transactions. No conversion required.
Paraguay – Guarani (PYG)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 7,312 PYG
- USD → PYG: Multiply by 7,000
- PYG → USD: Move decimal three positions left, then multiply by 0.15
(e.g., 100,000 PYG → 100 × 0.15 = $15)
|
PYG |
.3 left ×0.15 |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
10,000 |
10 × 0.15 = $1.50 |
$1.50 |
$1.37 |
|
20,000 |
20 × 0.15 = $3.00 |
$3.00 |
$2.74 |
|
50,000 |
50 × 0.15 = $7.50 |
$7.50 |
$6.83 |
|
100,000 |
100 × 0.15 = $15.00 |
$15.00 |
$13.67 |
|
200,000 |
200 × 0.15 = $30.00 |
$30.00 |
$27.34 |
Peru – Sol (PEN)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 3.72 PEN
- USD → PEN: Multiply by 4
- PEN → USD: Move decimal one position left, then multiply by 2.5
(e.g., 100 PEN → 10 × 2.5 = $25)
|
PEN |
.1 left ×2.5 |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
10 |
1 × 2.5 = $2.50 |
$2.50 |
$2.69 |
|
20 |
2 × 2.5 = $5.00 |
$5.00 |
$5.38 |
|
50 |
5 × 2.5 = $12.50 |
$12.50 |
$13.44 |
|
100 |
10 × 2.5 = $25.00 |
$25.00 |
$26.88 |
|
200 |
20 × 2.5 = $50.00 |
$50.00 |
$53.76 |
Uruguay – Peso (UYU)
Current Rate: $1 USD ≈ 39 UYU
- USD → UYU: Multiply by 40
- UYU → USD: Move decimal one position left, then multiply by 0.25
(e.g., 1,000 UYU → 100 × 0.25 = $25)
|
UYU |
.1 left ×0.25 |
Est. USD |
Actual USD |
|
20 |
2 × 0.25 = $0.50 |
$0.50 |
$0.51 |
|
50 |
5 × 0.25 = $1.25 |
$1.25 |
$1.28 |
|
100 |
10 × 0.25 = $2.50 |
$2.50 |
$2.56 |
|
200 |
20 × 0.25 = $5.00 |
$5.00 |
$5.13 |
|
500 |
50 × 0.25 = $12.50 |
$12.50 |
$12.82 |
|
1,000 |
100 × 0.25 = $25.00 |
$25.00 |
$25.64 |
Venezuela – Bolívar (VES)
Current Rate: Official rate is $1 USD ≈ 36 VES, but this is nearly meaningless for travelers.
Venezuela is cut off from the international monetary system; the rate you'll find on the street (parallel/black market) is often thousands of VES per dollar, not dozens.
- Banks, credit cards, and government offices: Use the official rate (unrealistic).
- Locals and businesses: Use a floating rate, which can be 50–100 times higher, or more.
- Result: Charts and rules of thumb for VES are useless for practical purposes; always check the latest real-world (“dólar paralelo”) rate when you arrive, and expect it to change week to week, if not day to day.