International Transfer Cost Calculator

Compare the total cost of sending money internationally.

About International Transfer Cost Calculator

International transfers carry three separate costs, and the exchange margin is usually the largest and least visible. Intermediary bank fees are deducted in transit, so the recipient gets less than expected. Comparing providers on the headline fee alone misses most of the cost, which is why the total cost percentage is the figure worth comparing.

Formula

International Transfer Cost

Total cost = transfer fee + exchange margin cost + recipient bank fees

exchange margin: The markup applied to the mid-market rate
intermediary fee: Deducted in transit by correspondent banks

Worked example

With the default values below, International Transfer Cost Calculator returns Total Cost of the Transfer of $116.78. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Amount to sendminimum 0: 5,000
Transfer feeminimum 0: 12
Exchange rate marginaccepts 0–100 %: 1.8 %
Recipient or intermediary bank feeminimum 0: 15
Mid-market rateminimum 0: 1.09

Results

Total Cost of the Transfer: $116.78
Amount the Recipient Receives: 5,323.00
Cost of the Exchange Margin: $89.78
Total Cost as a Share of the Amount: 2.336%
Amount at the Mid-Market Rate: 5,450.00

Step by step

1Values used
2International Transfer Cost
3Total Cost of the Transfer= 116.78
4Amount the Recipient Receives= 5,323.00
5Cost of the Exchange Margin= 89.78
6Total Cost as a Share of the Amount= 2.336
7Amount at the Mid-Market Rate= 5,450.00

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is International Transfer Cost calculated?

Total cost = transfer fee + exchange margin cost + recipient bank fees International transfers carry three separate costs, and the exchange margin is usually the largest and least visible. Intermediary bank fees are deducted in transit, so the recipient gets less than expected.

Why does International Transfer Cost matter?

Comparing providers on the headline fee alone misses most of the cost, which is why the total cost percentage is the figure worth comparing.

What values do I need to enter?

This calculator takes 5 inputs: Amount to send, Transfer fee, Exchange rate margin, Recipient or intermediary bank fee, Mid-market rate. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.