Currency and Costs

This guide contains detailed price information for lodging and eating throughout the US. Accommodation rates exclude any local taxes that may apply, while restaurant prices include food only and not drinks or tip. For museums and similar attractions, the entrance fees quoted are for adults, unless stated otherwise; if we do not list a discount for senior citizens or children, inquire if discounts are available. Costs may change during the life of this edition

Money: a note for foreign travelers
US currency comes in $1 bills and coins, bills of $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100, plus various larger (and rarer) denominations. Confusingly, all are the same size and same green color, making it necessary to check each bill carefully. The dollar is made up of 100 cents in coins of 1 cent (usually called a penny ), 5 cents (a nickel ), 10 cents (a dime ) and 25 cents (a quarter ). Fifty-cent and $1 coins are less frequently seen. Change - especially quarters - is needed for buses, vending machines and telephones, so always carry plenty.

Generally speaking, one pound sterling will buy $1.40, one Canadian dollar is worth around 65˘, one Australian dollar equals about 50˘ and one New Zealand dollar is equivalent to about 42˘.
At the time of publication, the Euro equaled 89˘ but had not been phased in completely

Traveling in the States can seem quite the deal or very expensive - depending in part on prices you're used to and where you're headed. New York prices, for example, are well above those in rural America. New England, Hawaii, Alaska and other areas can also be quite pricey.

Accommodation is likely to be your biggest single expense. Typical motel rooms in rural areas cost a few dollars either side of $40 per night, while hotel and motel rates in cities tend to start around $60. Hostels offering dorm beds - usually for $10 to $20 - are reasonably common, but don't save all that much money for two or more people traveling together. Camping, of course, is cheap, ranging from free to perhaps $20 per night, but is rarely practical in or around the big cities.

As for food , $20 a day is enough to get an adequate life-support diet, consisting of perhaps one full-scale meal in a local diner supplemented by a stash of groceries, while for a daily total of around $30 you can dine pretty well. Beyond this, everything hinges on how much sightseeing, taxi-taking, drinking and socializing you do. Much of any of these - especially in a major city - and you're likely to be getting through upwards of $50 a day. If you're visiting a significant number of national parks and monuments, buy a National Parks or Golden Eagle pass; the $50 or $65 fee covers all passengers in your vehicle.

Renting a car , at around $150 per week, is a far more efficient way to explore the country than public transportation and, for a group of two or more, it's no more expensive either. Having your own vehicle also enables you to stay in budget motels along the interstates instead of expensive city-center hotels.
In almost every state, sales tax , at rates varying up to ten percent, is added to virtually everything you buy in shops, but it isn't part of the marked price. The most economical possible vacation, therefore, with two people sharing a rental car, camping in state and federal parks most nights, and eating one restaurant meal per day, will work out at something over $200 per person per week.