Convert CAD to USD Canadian dollar ↔ US dollar Free Online Secure
Type an amount in Canadian dollar and read it in US dollar at once. The page uses the European Central Bank's reference rate, and tells you which day that rate is from.
Nothing uploaded
Common amounts — Convert CAD to USD (Canadian dollar ↔ US dollar)
| CAD | USD |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 5 | |
| 10 | |
| 20 | |
| 50 | |
| 100 | |
| 250 | |
| 500 | |
| 1000 | |
| 5000 |
The last thirty days
Where these codes and rates come from
The three letters in EUR, USD or JPY are not an abbreviation someone invented for a website: they are ISO 4217, a standard in which the first two letters are the country's own code and the third is usually the initial of the currency. The figures on this page come from the European Central Bank, which publishes one set of reference rates each working day, around 16:00 Central European time, agreed between the central banks of the Eurosystem. They are a daily snapshot meant for statistics and accounting, not a live trading feed — which is exactly why they are the same number for everyone, rather than whatever one bank happened to quote at one moment.
Where you meet an exchange rate
You meet an exchange rate four or five times a year without thinking about it: booking a trip, paying an invoice issued abroad, buying from a foreign shop, reading a salary offer in another currency, or checking what a card charge really cost. In all of these the reference rate is the honest middle, and the price you actually pay sits a little to one side of it. Knowing the middle is what lets you see how wide that margin is.
Questions people ask
Is this the rate my bank will give me?
No, and no page can promise one. This is the European Central Bank's reference rate: the midpoint published once a day for statistics. A bank, a card scheme or an exchange office adds its own margin on top — usually between half a percent and three percent, sometimes more at an airport counter. Use this figure to judge the offer you are given, not to predict it.
How often does the figure change, and what happens at weekends?
The European Central Bank publishes once each working day, in the afternoon, Central European time. There is no publication on Saturdays, Sundays or TARGET holidays, so on those days the page shows the last working day's rate and says which day it belongs to. The chart alongside is one year of the same daily series.
Is the answer exact?
Where both units are defined in terms of one another by whole numbers, yes — the page says so above the figure, and the only rounding is in how many digits are shown. Where the ratio has no finite decimal, the page shows twelve significant digits and says the relation is approximate rather than pretending otherwise.
Does anything I type leave my device?
No. The arithmetic runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded and there is no server to upload it to. Load the page once and it keeps working with the network switched off.
Across the longest border: shopping, road trips and the Canadian dollar at the United States till
The border between Canada and the United States runs for almost nine thousand kilometres and is the longest between any two countries in the world. Millions of crossings take place each year: families driving to a lake cottage, shoppers heading for an outlet mall, truckers hauling goods, commuters crossing the bridge from Windsor to Detroit, retirees spending the winter in Florida or Arizona. For all of them the same arithmetic recurs. Prices are posted in American dollars, accounts are kept in Canadian ones, and the rate between them decides whether a trip feels like a bargain or an extravagance. This page gives you that rate. Use it to Convert CAD to USD with the daily reference rates published by the European Central Bank, in which both the Canadian and the American dollar are quoted against the euro; the page combines them into a dollar-dollar figure and prints its date under the result. The amount you type never leaves your browser.
Using the converter
Canadian dollars in, American dollars out
Type the price of the shelf and Convert CAD to USD in reverse, then write the date next to the answer.
Type an amount in Canadian dollars and read the equivalent in United States dollars underneath, with the date of the fixing used. A Canadian dollar is worth roughly seventy-two to seventy-six American cents, so the answer is about three quarters of the number you typed. A fixing is published once on each working day; on weekends and public holidays the page repeats the last one and says so. A table of round sums and a graph of the past month sit below the box. For the opposite direction, open Convert USD to CAD.
How to judge a quote
When a counter promises a fair rate, Convert CAD to USD and divide their offer by the result to see the margin.
The figure shown is the mid-market rate, which banks use among themselves and which consumers almost never receive. Whoever serves you keeps a slice, and the slice is the real cost. To measure it, divide the amount you are offered by the amount shown on this page: 0.99 is excellent, 0.97 is typical for a card, and below 0.95 you should look elsewhere. The examples below use an invented, tidy rate of seventy-five American cents to the Canadian dollar. It is not a forecast and not today's price, so replace it with the live number.
Shopping across the line
Why Canadians cross
Compare the basket on both sides: Convert CAD to USD, add the cost of the trip and decide if the shopping pays.
Goods in the United States have often been cheaper than in Canada, particularly clothing, electronics, groceries and fuel, and the gap has drawn shoppers to border towns such as Buffalo, Bellingham, Plattsburgh and Detroit for decades. Whether a trip pays off depends on the exchange rate, which swings the price by ten or twenty per cent from one year to the next, on the cost of getting there and on what you may bring home free of duty. The only way to know is to price the basket: find the American price, Convert CAD to USD in reverse to see the Canadian equivalent, and compare it with the shelf at home.
What you can bring back
Allowances are tied to the length of the stay, so Convert CAD to USD for the sum you plan to spend and keep the receipts.
Canada sets personal exemptions for returning residents, which grow with the length of absence: for a trip of more than twenty-four hours a modest allowance applies, a larger one after forty-eight hours, and the largest after seven days. Alcohol and tobacco have separate limits. Goods above the exemption are subject to duty and tax. Rules change, so check the border agency's website before you go, and keep receipts together in a folder in the car.
Fuel and the gallon
American petrol is sold by the gallon, which is 3.785 litres, and an American gallon is smaller than a British one. A price of 3.50 dollars per gallon equals about 0.93 dollars per litre, or about 1.23 Canadian dollars at the invented rate. Convert L to gal does the conversion between litres and gallons, and Convert km to mi turns road signs from miles into kilometres. Speed limits are in miles per hour, and a limit of 65 means about 105 kilometres an hour.
Sales tax and tipping
Prices on the shelf are not the price at the till
In the United States sales tax is added at the till and differs by state and sometimes by city: Oregon, Montana and Delaware have none, while parts of Tennessee, Louisiana and Washington State charge more than nine per cent. A shirt marked at 20 dollars can cost 21.60 in one place and 22 in another. Add a tax of seven or eight per cent to any shelf price before you Convert CAD to USD in reverse for comparison.
Restaurant tips
A tip of a fifth is normal, so add it to the bill and then Convert CAD to USD for the total.
A tip of 18 to 22 per cent is expected in restaurants, bars and for taxi and delivery drivers, and many terminals suggest it with a button. Service is rarely included, except for large groups. For a 60-dollar meal the tip is 11 to 13, so the total comes to about 77, or 103 Canadian dollars at the invented rate. Hotel porters and housekeeping staff expect a few dollars.
Prices of everyday things
A coffee costs 3.5 to 5 dollars, a fast-food meal 10 to 14, a mid-range restaurant main 20 to 32, a night in a roadside motel 90 to 160 and in a city hotel 180 to 350. Groceries are cheaper than in Canada in many states, particularly milk, eggs and bread, although the gap varies. A cinema ticket is 12 to 18 dollars. Convert CAD to USD for each of your regular purchases and write down which side is cheaper.
Money on the American side
Cards and cash
Before a long trip, Convert CAD to USD for the cash you need and carry only that amount.
Canadian credit and debit cards are accepted nearly everywhere in the United States, and contactless payment is widespread. Cards usually add a foreign-transaction fee of 2.5 per cent on top of the exchange margin, though some travel cards waive it. A terminal may offer to charge you in Canadian dollars; decline, since the rate it applies is worse than the card network's. Cash is accepted everywhere, but American notes all look the same size and colour, which makes mistakes easy, so check each note before you hand it over.
Cash machines and exchange
Machine fees add up, so Convert CAD to USD for a larger withdrawal and compare the cost per dollar.
American bank machines charge their own fee, typically 3 to 5 dollars, in addition to your own bank's fee. A withdrawal of 200 US dollars may therefore cost 10 dollars in fees. Withdraw larger amounts less often, and compare the cost with the figure on this page. Exchange counters at border crossings are a last resort.
Time zones and units
Time zones continue across the border: Toronto and New York share Eastern time, and Vancouver and Los Angeles share Pacific time. Convert EST to PST shows the three-hour gap between the coasts. Americans use Fahrenheit, so Convert °C to °F helps with weather forecasts, and Convert cm to in helps with clothing sizes.
Snowbirds and winter in the sun
Why retirees go south
Every November, a migration begins that is not made of birds. Retired Canadians, nicknamed snowbirds, drive or fly to Florida, Arizona, Texas and California, where they rent apartments or own small houses, and return home in spring. Around half a million Canadians spend months in the south each winter. They come for the warmth, for golf, for low living costs and for friends. Most stay less than six months in a year, a limit that protects both their provincial health coverage and their tax residence. A stay of four months in Florida means an expense in American dollars, so many snowbirds keep a dollar account and convert in several instalments.
The monthly budget
A modest winter in Florida might include a two-bedroom rental at 2,400 dollars a month, groceries at 600, dining out at 400, car and fuel at 350, phone and utilities at 250 and health insurance at 300. The monthly total is 4,300 American dollars, which at the invented rate is 5,733 Canadian dollars, and the four-month bill is 22,933. Convert CAD to USD for the budget, line by line, and compare the winter cost with staying home.
Insurance and healthcare
Provincial health plans cover only a small part of emergency treatment in the United States, and an uninsured hospital stay can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Private travel insurance for several months costs 100 to 300 dollars a month for a healthy retiree and more for older ones with existing conditions. Read the exclusions, particularly those concerning pre-existing illnesses, and confirm the policy covers the whole length of the stay.
Driving through the States
Rules of the road
Traffic in the United States drives on the right, as in Canada, but rules differ by state: speed limits, helmet laws, rules on turning right at red lights, and cell phone use. Highways are marked by interstate numbers, and exits are numbered by miles. Tolls are common in the north-east and around Chicago, and electronic transponders save time. Rental cars and insurance from American companies are straightforward, and a Canadian driver's licence is valid.
A long weekend by road
A trip from Toronto to New York takes about eight hours by car and costs, for two travellers, about 220 dollars in fuel, 60 in tolls, 380 for two nights in a modest hotel, 240 for meals and 200 for attractions, a total of 1,100 US dollars, or 1,467 Canadian dollars at the invented rate. Convert CAD to USD for each line to see how the weekend compares to a trip within Canada.
Cross-border phone and data
Roaming charges in the United States have fallen, but some plans still add daily fees of 10 to 15 dollars. Check your plan before you leave; many Canadian carriers offer a day pass or include the United States in the standard bundle. Download maps in advance, and use wireless networks at hotels.
Papers and rules
At the border
Canadians do not need a visa for short visits to the United States, but they need a valid passport for air travel, or an enhanced identity document for land crossings, and must answer the officer's questions truthfully about the purpose and the length of the stay. Be prepared to say where you are staying and how long. Declare food, plants and anything that exceeds your allowance. Carry any medication in its original packaging.
Working and studying
Special rules apply to Canadians who wish to work or study in the United States. Certain professions can benefit from a trade-agreement status for skilled workers, and students need a visa linked to their school. Tuition at American universities is high, from 20,000 to 60,000 US dollars a year at private institutions, and living costs add 15,000 to 25,000. Convert CAD to USD for the whole package before you apply.
Taxes
Earnings in the United States may be taxed there, and a convention between the two countries prevents double taxation. Keep records of days spent, income earned and taxes paid in each country, and consult an accountant who knows both systems.
Border towns and bridges
Four crossings worth knowing
Some crossings have become landmarks. The Peace Bridge between Fort Erie and Buffalo, the Ambassador Bridge and the tunnel between Windsor and Detroit, the Blue Water Bridge at Sarnia and the Peace Arch between Surrey and Blaine, in Washington State, each handle thousands of vehicles a day. The Peace Arch sits in a park that straddles the border, and visitors on either side may walk in the gardens without passing through customs, provided they return to their own side. Waiting times can range from a few minutes to well over an hour on holiday weekends, so check the live border-wait websites before you leave.
Faster lanes and trusted traveller cards
Frequent travellers can join trusted traveller programmes, which provide dedicated lanes at major crossings and quicker processing at airports. The application fee is modest, around 50 to 120 dollars for several years, and approval requires an interview and a background check. If you cross more than three or four times a year, the card pays for itself in saved hours. Convert CAD to USD for the fee, then divide it by the number of crossings you expect to make.
Small towns, big signs
On the American side, towns close to the border have built an economy around Canadian visitors: motels with signs in two languages, outlet malls, discount petrol stations and grocery stores. Prices in these places are often set with the exchange rate in mind, so the best bargains appear when the Canadian dollar is strong. On the Canadian side, businesses near the line watch the same figure and adjust their sales. The arithmetic shifts constantly, and a rate that makes a trip attractive in one season can make it pointless in another.
Packing and preparing
Weather and clothing
The United States covers a huge range of climates, and a Canadian who travels from Montreal in January to Miami can swing 40 degrees Celsius in a few hours. Dress in layers, keep a light jacket in the carry-on and remember that air conditioning in American shops, cinemas and hotels can be fierce in summer. To convert forecasts given in Fahrenheit, a quick rule is to subtract thirty-two and halve the result, which gives a rough Celsius figure, or use the converter linked above for exact numbers.
Electronics and plugs
The two countries use the same electrical standard, 120 volts and the same plug type, so there is no need for adapters. Phones, laptops and cameras work without change. Keep your devices charged for the border, since an officer may ask to see them, and back up photos before a long trip. A power bank is useful during long flights and road trips.
Documents in the car
Keep your passport, vehicle registration, insurance card and any rental agreement in an easy-to-reach place. Canadian auto insurance normally covers the United States, but ask your provider for a proof-of-insurance card for the trip. If you are towing a boat or trailer, check its registration and the rules for transporting it across state lines.
Other conversions
If the trip goes on
Travellers who continue to Europe can use Convert CAD to EUR, those who fly to Britain Convert CAD to GBP, and those who head to Japan Convert CAD to JPY.
A short routine
Write down the rate and the date each time you pay a large bill. A look at the note at home tells you the true cost.
Mistakes to avoid
Forgetting the tax
A missing tax is a missing eight per cent, so add it before you Convert CAD to USD in reverse for the comparison.
The shelf price in the United States leaves out tax. Add it before you Convert CAD to USD in reverse for a comparison.
Accepting dollar conversion at the terminal
A terminal that offers to charge you in Canadian dollars uses its own rate. Pay in American dollars.
Using an old rate
A rate from last month can be several per cent out. The date beside the result protects you whenever you Convert CAD to USD.
In short
The only thing fetched from the network is the table of daily rates; your amount stays in the browser and no account is needed. From a gas station in Buffalo to a hotel in Florida, one habit pays: Convert CAD to USD, read the date and weigh every offer against the figure on this page.