Send Money to Honduras from the USA: Cheapest Ways in 2026

All-in cost: the fee plus whatever is taken in the exchange rate, measured against the mid-market USD/HNL rate at the moment each provider quoted. Prices collected October 8–9, 2026, from each provider's own quotes or, where marked, a comparison site's listing.

All-in cost in US dollars on the USD/HNL corridor. Green marks the cheapest standing price at that amount. A labelled price, such as a promotion or a quote that gives more than our mid-market reference rate, is shown but never marked cheapest.

One option is missing from the table because it is not really competing: a bank wire. US banks charge up to $75 to send a $1,000 wire (their published fees, checked June to October 2026) and a correspondent bank typically takes about $20, before an exchange-rate markup the banks don’t publish and that we could not check on this route, well above what the apps on this list charge. Cash pickup is the common route, but a bank deposit costs less on the same service where the recipient has an account.

See what each app charges on your amount with these calculators:

How the money arrives often matters more than which app you use. Pick the rail that fits your family:

Cash pickup:

the most common option in Honduras. Remitly, Ria, Western Union and MoneyGram pay out lempiras at thousands of points: Banco Atlántida, BAC Credomatic and agent windows in every department. Bring ID and a reference number, collect in minutes, no bank account needed.

Tigo Money wallet:

a popular mobile wallet, handy for family outside Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, who can spend or cash out locally. None of the services we track prices a delivery to a mobile wallet on this route in our current data, so check with the service you use first.

Bank deposit:

the cheapest route for regular support. Funds reach a Honduran bank account (Banco Atlántida, Banpaís, BAC Credomatic or Ficohsa), usually within 1-2 business days.

The exchange rate is where most of the hidden cost hides. The real mid-market USD/HNL rate stood at 26.84 lempiras per dollar on October 11, 2026. The lempira is a slow, managed currency, easing down a little each year rather than lurching, but a provider that quietly marks the rate up 2%-3% still drains far more than its advertised fee.

On a $1,000 transfer that 3% markup quietly adds up to roughly 810 lempiras (about $30) gone, money your family never receives. Lean on a service whose rate sits close to mid-market; the cost-shape column in the table above shows how much each one takes in the rate. Wise converts at the exact mid-market rate and shows its cost as a fee instead. Then glance at the live lempira rate before you confirm.

A quick heads-up on one new charge. The 1% federal excise tax the US introduced on January 1, 2026 is carried solely by remittances funded with physical cash or a money order. Reach for a debit or credit card, or fund straight from your bank, and you owe nothing extra.

For the Honduras corridor that's a real consideration, because a lot of money still goes over the counter in cash. Send online with an app that draws from your bank or card, and the tax never applies. It only appears when you hand cash to a storefront agent, which is one more reason to move that habit to an app. (Tax rules can shift, so check your own circumstances before a big transfer.)

1. 01Pay in from your bank, not cash. ACH funding is the lowest-cost way to load a transfer, and it keeps you clear of the new 1% cash tax.
2. 02Send to a bank account instead of cash pickup when you can. It usually costs less on the same service, and arrives just as quickly.
3. 03Judge the rate, not the headline fee. The exchange-rate markup is the bigger cost on most sends, so compare how many lempiras arrive, not the fee alone.
4. 04Group your transfers. Because a flat fee hurts less on a bigger amount, one larger monthly send beats a string of small ones.
5. 05Take the first-send deal. Some services run an introductory offer on a first transfer, such as a waived fee or a better rate. Claim it once, then compare again next time.