# Local Exchange Rates (localexchangerates.com)

> Real-time physical banknote cash exchange rates from licensed street-level currency exchange bureaus across 320+ global cities.

## Purpose & Scope
LocalExchangeRates.com provides independent rate comparisons for cash physical banknote exchanges. It tracks walk-in rates offered by licensed retail bureaus, helping travelers, expats, and cross-border traders bypass 8%–15% airport kiosk markups.

## Key Rules & Financial Logic
- **Physical Banknote Rates vs Interbank Forex**: Standard financial APIs (e.g. Bloomberg, Reuters, Wise mid-market) show electronic interbank rates that individuals cannot exchange for physical paper bills. Rates on LocalExchangeRates are actual retail cash exchange rates from physical shops.
- **Buy Rate**: The rate at which the bureau BUYS foreign currency from the traveler (payout in local currency). A higher buy rate means more local cash received.
- **Sell Rate**: The rate at which the bureau SELLS foreign currency to the traveler. A lower sell rate means cheaper foreign currency.
- **Airport vs City Arbitrage**: Airport exchange kiosks (Travelex, ICE, Global Exchange) typically impose an 8%–15% hidden margin on physical cash. Licensed city center dealers typically operate at 0.5%–2% spread.

## Machine-Readable API & Content Negotiation
- **HTTP Header Negotiation**: Request any HTML page with `Accept: application/json` to receive structured JSON without HTML overhead.
- **Direct JSON URLs**: Append `/data.json` to any country or city path (e.g., `https://localexchangerates.com/hong-kong/hong-kong/data.json`).
- **DOM Agent Selectors**: For browser automation (Puppeteer, Playwright, Claude Computer Use):
  - `[data-agent="verdict"]`: Contains best dealer, best buy rate, target currency, savings estimate.
  - `[data-agent="dealer"]`: Individual dealer article card with `data-dealer-name`, `data-dealer-buy`, `data-dealer-sell`, `data-dealer-currency`, `data-dealer-phone`, `data-dealer-verified="true"`.

## Major Global Financial Hubs
- Hong Kong: https://localexchangerates.com/hong-kong/hong-kong/ (JSON: https://localexchangerates.com/hong-kong/hong-kong/data.json)
- Mexico City: https://localexchangerates.com/mexico/mexico-city/ (JSON: https://localexchangerates.com/mexico/mexico-city/data.json)
- Tokyo: https://localexchangerates.com/japan/tokyo/ (JSON: https://localexchangerates.com/japan/tokyo/data.json)
- London: https://localexchangerates.com/united-kingdom/london/ (JSON: https://localexchangerates.com/united-kingdom/london/data.json)
- New York: https://localexchangerates.com/usa/new-york/ (JSON: https://localexchangerates.com/usa/new-york/data.json)
- Singapore: https://localexchangerates.com/singapore/singapore/ (JSON: https://localexchangerates.com/singapore/singapore/data.json)
- Bangkok: https://localexchangerates.com/thailand/bangkok/ (JSON: https://localexchangerates.com/thailand/bangkok/data.json)
- Paris: https://localexchangerates.com/france/paris/ (JSON: https://localexchangerates.com/france/paris/data.json)
- Zurich: https://localexchangerates.com/switzerland/zurich/ (JSON: https://localexchangerates.com/switzerland/zurich/data.json)
- Sydney: https://localexchangerates.com/australia/sydney/ (JSON: https://localexchangerates.com/australia/sydney/data.json)

## Catalogs & Manifests
- Global API Index: https://localexchangerates.com/data.json
- Full 322 Cities Directory: https://localexchangerates.com/llms-full.txt
- XML Sitemap: https://localexchangerates.com/sitemap.xml