Money - how to pay in Iran

[Lzh]

Hi!

We are now in Iran. Finally we withdrew dollars in an ATM in Tiblisi (didnt find any euros ATM) and exchanged them after crossing the border in Jolfa. The problem seems more the amount you want to change than the bigger the notes. We wanted to exchange 500$ and the cashier only could change 300$ because it was a lot of rial notes that he had to find.

The exchange rate we are getting is 1 dollar = 315.000 rials.

Regarding the amount of money you need in Iran, it of course depends on your needs but we are travelling by van, sometimes we sleep on the van and sometimes in budget-basic hotel/guesthouses. You can find cheap accomodation from 5 dollars to 20 dollars. Eat in a kebab for 1 dollar or in a restaurant for 3 to 6 dollars including the drinks. A SIM with 20Gygas for 30 days was just 2,5 dollars. At the petrol station we are paying now around 0,06 dollars/liter. Really cheap but it will depends on the deal you get with the truckdrivers...

So I would say that you should calculate a minimum of 20-25 dollars per day per person. But would recommend to get a bit more to have a back up in case you find any unexpected payment like a mechanical failure...