Typically exchange rates are floating projections from one currency to
another. Therefore they say little if anything about standard of costs in a
region in which whatever currency is in use. Naturally in the Communist
countries they followed a practice of several rates for a "hard currency".
One and the lousiest of them was the "tourist rate", which was fixed by the
government and was a lot inferior to the market rate (whatever that was).
For instance the GDR fixed their monopoly money 1:1 rate with the
Bundesmark. West German banks used the rate 1:9 or 1:10 in the famous year
of 1989 when GDR collapsed.............

For instance in Latin American countries both inflation and it's more or
less direct implication of the decline of the external value of the currency
can be extraordinarily fast making things a bit complicated. For intance
until 1981 Mexican peso was fixed to US dollar by 1:21 or 1:23 rate (can't
recall which). In summer 1984 a buck bought about 200 pesos and in summer
1986 some 600 pesos and in the end of that year some 1000 pesos.

In developing countries imported goods are typically about as expensive as
in the high cost countries because the raw price is [typically] about the
same anyways. The logistics structure may be somewhat more economical but on
the other hand import duties may raise the price at border well beyond
anything rational. Domestically made goods on the other hand are typically
cheap and often very cheap compared to the developed countries with similar
products.

Continentwise (extremely rough base for comparisons) Asia is the cheapest
for travellers. Naturally countries like Japan, Korea and Taiwan don't
follow the line.

"King" <kingtutt1@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:gx7db.5816$NX3.1020@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net...
> Hi,
> I'm planning on traveling the world over the next year.....
> One of my criteria is to travel to countries that have a good exchange
rate
> with the US dollar.  That way I can get more for my dollar.
> Anyone know a website where I can find this info? I've searched
> unsuccessfully thru google.
> Obviously I didn't put in the right words.  No use going somewhere where
my
> money doesn't go very far  (obviously everyone is different......this is a
> matter of opinion).
> Thanks
> Mike
>
>