Domestic postal rates in the United States are relatively inexpensive when compared to the rates in other developed countries. Gasoline and diesel costs are a significant factor in the prices for mail. If mailing an international letter or package you would also need to consider the additional transport on the airplane, the pilot and the additional employees involved in the transport of the mail. One thing keeping the cost of postage down are other delivery companies such as DHL and FedEx as well as smaller organizations.
Currently in the United States mailing a standard sized letter costs just $0.42 USD. In Australia the same letter would cost $0.50 AUD, in Canada it would cost 0.52 CAD, in Germany it would cost 0.55 EUR. Sample rates in less developed countries include 1.40 RMB to post in China, 5.00 INR if mailed in India, and 7.50 RUB if mailed in Russia. These look high, however, they do not take into account the different value of currencies.
If we look at the exchange rates and convert all the other currencies to USD then the postage rates would be as follows: Australia 0.35; Germany 0.71; Canada 0.45; China 0.20; India 0.11; Russia 0.28. Generally, wealthier countries are more expensive, which makes some sense. While postal rates in the United States have gone up many times in recent years, we continue to enjoy reasonably low rates when compared to other countries similar to us.
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