The formula, worked examples and the main ways to change US dollars into Australian dollars.
AUD = USD × (USD to AUD rate) and USD = AUD ÷ (USD to AUD rate).
Using today's rate of 1 USD = … AUD:
If you only have the AUD/USD market quote (for example 0.66), first invert it: 1 ÷ 0.66 ≈ 1.515 AUD per USD.
Convenient if you already bank with them, but traditional banks often build a margin of a few percent into the rate and may charge a transfer fee and intermediary fees on international payments.
Specialist providers often quote a rate closer to mid-market and show the fee up front. Compare the final AUD amount received, and check that the provider is regulated (in Australia, look for an AFS licence or AUSTRAC registration).
Spending in USD with an Australian card usually incurs an international transaction fee (commonly around 3%). Some travel and multi-currency cards waive it. When a merchant offers to charge you in AUD instead of USD, declining usually gets a better rate.
Airport and hotel exchange counters typically offer the least favourable rates. If you need cash, compare an ATM withdrawal with a low-fee card against a currency exchange shop in town.
Use our exchange fees calculator to see what a given margin costs on your amount.
We use daily mid-market reference rates from the free, open-source currency API maintained by Fawaz Ahmed, loaded live in your browser each time you open the page. The rate is updated once per day; it is not a dealing rate from any bank.
Banks, card issuers and airport exchange counters usually add a margin to the mid-market rate and may also charge a fixed fee. The amount you actually receive in Australian dollars is therefore normally a little lower than the figure shown here. Our exchange fees calculator shows how much a given margin costs.