PaisaTools Index · Updated live
The Remittance Cost Index
How much an Indian family actually loses to fees and exchange margin when money is sent home — ranked across 10 corridors. The number nobody else puts in one place.
Most expensive route
USA → India
Up to ₹2,900 lost per ₹1,00,000 versus a low-cost app.
Average gap
₹1,670
Typical overpay on every ₹1,00,000, across all 10 countries tracked.
Cheapest route
UAE → India
The most competitive route — yet still ₹700 cheaper via an app.
New to this? The mid-market rate is the “real” exchange rate you see on Google — the fair middle. Banks and apps quote you a slightly worse rate and pocket the difference; that gap, plus any fee, is what the table below measures.
What you lose on every ₹1,00,000 sent home
loading…| From | Mid-market rate | Bank / exchange | Low-cost app | You save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA· USD | ₹95.21 | −₹3,500 | −₹600 | ₹2,900 |
| Australia· AUD | ₹66.93 | −₹3,200 | −₹600 | ₹2,600 |
| UK· GBP | ₹126.80 | −₹3,000 | −₹600 | ₹2,400 |
| Canada· CAD | ₹67.81 | −₹3,000 | −₹600 | ₹2,400 |
| Singapore· SGD | ₹74.31 | −₹2,500 | −₹600 | ₹1,900 |
| Kuwait· KWD | ₹306.50 | −₹1,600 | −₹600 | ₹1,000 |
| Oman· OMR | ₹247.60 | −₹1,600 | −₹600 | ₹1,000 |
| Saudi Arabia· SAR | ₹25.39 | −₹1,500 | −₹600 | ₹900 |
| Qatar· QAR | ₹26.16 | −₹1,500 | −₹600 | ₹900 |
| UAE· AED | ₹25.93 | −₹1,300 | −₹600 | ₹700 |
“You save” = the typical bank / exchange-house cost minus a low-cost app, on a ₹1,00,000 transfer. Rate is live mid-market; cost figures are modelled from published averages, not live provider quotes. See methodology below.
How we calculate it
The index compares two ways to send ₹1,00,000 to India: a traditional bank wire or exchange house, and a low-cost digital app that converts near the mid-market rate.
The mid-market rate shown for each corridor is live — the same multi-source rate the rest of PaisaTools uses. The channel costs are modelled: we apply a typical all-in cost (upfront fee plus the hidden exchange-rate markup) for each channel, drawn from published averages such as the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide and providers' own fee schedules. The app channel is modelled at 0.6% all-in; traditional channels range from roughly 1.3% in the Gulf to 3.5% on Western bank wires.
These are illustrative typical costs, not live quotes from every provider, and not financial advice — always check the exact rate and fee your provider shows before you send. But the direction is consistent and well-documented: a low-cost app almost always beats a bank wire, and the gap is largest on the high-fee Western corridors.
Last updated 2026-10-28. Rates refresh live on this page.