Converting Dollars into Lempira…

Changing money in Honduras.

The airport is a good place to change dollars into lempira before you leave for the site. There are sanctioned money-changers outside the terminal after you exit the airport building, wearing identifying vests, and in Tegucigalpa they have been very honest. (Take care double-checking calculations and amounts at the San Pedro Sula airport.) They give as good or better than the bank’s buying-lempira rate.

Plan on changing your personal money and team money here, including money for eventual sight-seeing here at the airport. Getting to a bank is difficult at some sites. In addition, regardless of worksite, taking the team to a bank is an extra errand for the local hosts.

Be prepared to double-check the money-changer's calculations--bring your own calculator or insist on using the money-changer's calculator. An MEH staff person can facilitate this.

Find the latest official Dollar to Lempira Conversion Rate...

(for those interested in absolute accuracy…)

Click here to find the latest conversion rate.

A window will pop up asking if you want to OPEN or SAVE.
Click “OPEN”.
Scroll down to the last number in the “Compra 1/” column (column B).
This number is how many Lempiras you will get for $1.
When closing, click “NO”, you don’t want to save it.

Print Conversion Cheat Sheets for your trip to Honduras!

This website allows you to print cheat sheets you can put in your wallet, so at a glance you can tell how much L150.00 is in dollars, for example.

Click here to create a conversion cheat sheet.

Set your Destination Currency for “Honduran Lempira”.
Your Home Currency is already set at “US Dollar”.
Then choose “Typical cash rate: +4%”.
Then click “Get my Cheat Sheet”.

This will generate a conversion chart that is pretty close--for shopping and exchanging money. It’s not as good as a calculator, but gives you a good idea of the prices, and is handy.

Print the cheatsheet and its “reverse” with the “Print Friendly CheatSheet Results”. Maybe one team member would be willing to create enough for everyone who wants one!

 

Updated Feb. 2005