We had a complicated problem on our kitchen table in Jerusalem. A stack of homemade birthday thank-you notes, tucked in brightly colored envelopes, ready to be whisked off to friends in the U.S. And a commemorative packet of Israeli stamps in all sorts of different denominations, none of which added up to the 6.20 NIS (6 New Israeli Shekels, 20 agorot, or $1.74) it took to mail a letter or postcard from here to the States.
Postage Around The World
In the U.S., it costs $1.10 to send an overseas letter weighing up to 3.5 ounces (or approximately 100 grams). How does the rest of the world compare? Here's a roundup of what it costs for a U.S.-bound missive.
South Africa: 66 cents (up to 50 grams)
Russia: 88 cents (20g ); $2.19 (100g)
Brazil: 95 cents (50g)
Saudi Arabia: $1.07 (50g)
U.S.: $1.10 (approx. 100g)
Jamaica: $1.15 (15g, Caribbean, North and South America), $1.35 (Europe), $1.74 (rest of the world)
Ireland: $1.22 (50g)
Mauritania: $1.23 (100g)
Great Britain: $1.41 (10g); $5.59 (100g)
China: $1.63 (50g)
France: $1.90 (50g)
Japan: $1.96 (50g)
Australia: $2.46 (50g)
Denmark: $2.64 (50g)
Argentina: $2.75 (20g, within the Americas); $2.92 (outside the Americas)
Note: Converted to U.S. dollars on Oct. 8 and 9, 2013