The unit of the Haitian currency is the Gourde, which was first introduced in 1813 after replacing the “Livre”. The Gourde has been often reval

The amount of your expenses for a meal can vary depending on your standards and wherever you actually purchase it. In a high-end bar, restaurant or hotel you may expect to spend between 150 Gourdes and 250 Gourdes for a regular breakfast approximately $5.00 to $8.00 US dollars. With the same amount of money, however, you can get a huge meal or a complete dinner in a local restaurant. So, it's up to you and your wallet!

Today's heptagonal shaped 1 Gourde coin called "A-do-kin" that replaced definitely in 1995 the paper money on the left.

by 5 to figure out the amount in Gourdes. As a basic example, U$1.00 x 5 = 5 Gourdes and so on. Accordingly, the term Haitian dollar has been stuck in the mind of the Haitian people until today even though the value of the Gourde has drastically fallen behind the US dollar, Canadian and Euro.

The paper money Five Gourdes bearing the illustration of the statue of the heroes of the Independence of Haiti, and on the back the arms of the Republic of Haiti (Year 1992).

The heptagonal shaped 5 Gourdes coin (A-do-kin) that replaced the paper money (left).

Today, nothing could be more confusing to fully understand the concept of the Haitian currency. In reality, there is no physical monetary unit that, indeed, represents a Haitian dollar, it is just imaginary. Five Gourdes are just 5 Gourdes. Nevertheless, in many stores and other commercial places you would curiously notice many products with their tag listed in the so-called “Haitian dollar”. For instance, you could see in a supermarket a bottle of pure honey (750ml) tagged for $45.00. You might quickly jump onto your toes and started to question yourself if you are not used to the term. You might also be taken for a ride without your knowledge. In fact, it refers to $45.00 x 5 = 225 HTGourdes. You just multiply that amount by five to get the sum in Gourdes. Some stores simply price their items in Gourdes to avoid further confusions.

All you have to do, if you are an outsider, is to carry some Haitian money with you after exchanging in Haiti your own currency in well-known banks, exchange offices or travel agencies at a reasonable rate. Many stores also allow people to pay in foreign currency like in US, EURO, Canadian dollar by just calculating the equivalence in Gourdes. As the Haitian currency floats on a daily basis, be wary of the conversion rate to minimize the risk of getting caught in a thriving black market where counterfeited Haitian currency might be obvious.

Paper money of 10 Gourdes (Year 2004)

Paper money of 250 Gourdes (Year 2004)

ued then linked to the US dollar and French franc. In 1912, it was pegged to the US dollar at a value of 5 Gourdes to the US dollar. As a result, the Gourde was quickly referred to as a “Haitian dollar”. At that time one had to multiply the US value

Being aware or not of the Haitian monetary system, you may also ask yourself what can you purchase with the Haitian Gourde. The majority of the coins used in Haiti are 50 centimes, 1 Gourde, and 5 Gourdes. 1 HTGourde is divided into 100 centimes and 5 HTGourdes into 500 centimes. According to some Haitian residents in Port-au-Prince, the Gourde has almost no value since you can only buy a local candy with 1 HTGourde. The basic wares such as one raw egg or a small container of crusty peanuts are valued at 5 Gourdes. A small breakfast, which includes a basic egg sandwich and a 12 ounces orange juice container can cost you at least 40 Gourdes around $1 US dollar. One boiled egg, one ripe banana and a 12 ounces orange juice container can cost you the same. Buttered bread with coffee may cost you at least 35 Gourdes or less.