Send Money to Honduras from the USA: Cheapest Ways in 2026
Honduras runs on money from the US: remittances are worth about a quarter of its economy, and they hit a record in 2025. The lempira is managed by the central bank rather than left to float, which changes what is worth comparing when you send.
The Quick Version
Pay from your US bank account through a money transfer app. A $500 deposit in Honduras costs least with Taptap Send, about $1.36 all-in, then MoneyGram at about $2.86 and Sendwave at about $3.36.
What stands out on this route is how close the rates are. Seven services in our current data convert within a fifth of a percent of mid-market, so the fee, not the rate, is what separates them.
A wire from a US bank is the outlier. The sending bank's published fee on $1,000 is up to $75 (schedules checked in October 2026), an intermediary bank commonly deducts around $20, and the lempira rate carries a markup banks don't publish.
Lempira Prices Today
Compare Money Transfer Services
Sending 1,000.00 USD → HNL from the US · Estimated typical cost · bank deposit, bank-funded
Showing 8 of 17 services we can price for USD → HNL
Estimates only, not live quotes. "Recipient Gets" is for a bank deposit funded from a bank account, on today's mid-market rate: for a "provider quote", minus the rate markup and fee from that provider's own recent quote; for an estimate, minus the provider's typical markup and fee. Rows are ranked by total cost, the fee plus the rate markup, so a fee charged on top of the amount sent counts against a provider even when its recipient gets more. Real cost varies by corridor, amount, delivery and payment method, and promotions (e.g. new-customer offers can be cheaper). Tap a provider to get its live rate before sending. The dot by each provider shows confidence, and the label says how the figure was grounded: "corridor estimate" is a rate we measured for this exact pair; a currency-code estimate (e.g. "USD estimate") is measured for that source currency but not this destination; "typical estimate" is the provider's general figure across all its corridors; "provider quote" is that provider's own recent quote for this pair, its markup and fee applied to today's mid-market rate exactly as its calculator shows them, and a provider whose quote depends on a payment or delivery choice is left out here and priced on its own calculator. Margins are verified against live provider quotes and the World Bank Remittance Prices database; the date above is the most recent collection. Some “Send money now” buttons are partner links: we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no cost to you, and rows are ranked by cost whatever the link. See how we collect these prices and our advertising disclosure.
When the Rates Line Up, Fees Decide
Each row below is the total cost of lempiras deposited in a Honduran bank account, paid from a US bank account: the fee, plus whatever the service keeps in its exchange rate against the mid-market USD/HNL rate at the time it quoted.
| Service | Rate and fee at $1,000 | Cost shape | $200 | $500 | $1,000 | $5,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taptap SendDelivered by bank deposit | 26.9157 HNL$0.99 fee | 0.07% rate + $0.99 | ≈$1.14 | ≈$1.36 | $1.73 | $4.70 |
| MoneyGram | 26.9157 HNL$2.49 fee | 0.07% rate + $2.49 | ≈$2.64 | ≈$2.86 | $3.23 | $6.20 |
| SendwaveDelivered by bank deposit | 26.9157 HNL$2.99 fee | 0.07% rate + $2.99 | ≈$3.14 | ≈$3.36 | $3.73 | $6.70 |
| Western UnionDelivered by direct to bank, paid by bank account | 26.9157 HNL$2.99 fee | 0.07% rate + $2.99 | ≈$3.14 | ≈$3.36 | $3.73 | $6.70 |
| Ria Money TransferDelivered by bank deposit, paid by bank account | 26.9112 HNL$3.00 fee | 0.09% rate + $3.00 | ≈$3.18 | ≈$3.45 | $3.91 | $7.55 |
| XoomDelivered by bank deposit, paid by bank account (ACH) | 26.9157 HNL$4.29 fee | 0.07% rate + $4.29–$5.49 | ≈$4.44 | $4.66 | $5.03 | $9.20 |
| RemitlyDelivered by bank deposit | 26.9112 HNL$13.99 fee | 0.09% rate + $5.19–$57.99 | ≈$5.37 | ≈$8.94 | $14.89 | $62.49 |
| Paysend | 26.3683 HNL$1.99 fee | 2.11% rate + $1.99 | ≈$6.16 | ≈$12.48 | $23.01 | $107.28 |
From our current data, collected November 3–6, 2026, for a transfer from the US paid from a bank account and delivered to a bank account. Each rate is the service's margin from that data on the latest mid-market rate, 1 USD = 26.9357 HNL on November 9, 2026, so it moves with the market. ≈ marks a price between two amounts the provider quoted, where its fee and rate are known to hold. How we collect these prices.
- BOSS Money, Pangea and Wise don’t price a transfer paid from a bank account and delivered to a bank account on this route, only other ways to pay or receive.
- We hold no current quote for this route from Instarem, OFX, Revolut, WorldRemit and XE.
Each figure is the dollar cost, fee and rate margin together, of landing lempiras in a Honduran account. Green shows the lowest standing price at each amount. Labelled prices, whether a promotion or a quote paying more than our mid-market reference, appear without colour.
Read the cost-shape column and a pattern jumps out: Taptap Send, MoneyGram, Sendwave, Western Union, Ria Money Transfer, Xoom and Remitly all convert within a fifth of a percent of the mid-market rate. When that many rates sit together, the exchange rate stops being where services differ, and the fee does the separating: on a $1,000 deposit, those services run from $1.73 to $14.89 all-in. Compare the fee line first.
Run your own amount through a service's calculator:
The Lempira Crawls, It Doesn’t Float
Honduras does not let the lempira float freely. The Banco Central de Honduras sells dollars to banks and exchange houses through a daily auction and steers the currency within a crawling band, so the lempira slips against the dollar in small steps rather than jumping. Over 2025 it lost about 4%. On November 9, 2026 the mid-market rate stood at 26.94 lempiras to the dollar.
The dollars kept coming all the same. Hondurans abroad sent a record $12.2 billion in 2025, about a quarter more than the year before and almost all of it from the US, and the IMF pointed to that surge as one reason the country has been able to rebuild its reserves.
A currency that crawls makes timing pointless: a week's wait moves the rate by a fraction of a percent. What moves your result is the service's margin. On a $1,000 transfer, each percentage point of it is about 270 lempiras.
Bank, Window or Tigo Money
- Bank deposit
- Into an account at Banco Atlántida, BAC, Ficohsa or another Honduran bank. You need the bank, the account number and the holder's full name as the bank has it. This is what the table above prices.
- Cash pickup
- Of the standing prices for $1,000 collected in cash, MoneyGram at $4.73 is lowest, ahead of Taptap Send at $4.73 and Ria Money Transfer at $4.91. The recipient brings the transaction number and a photo ID, and the money is usually ready soon after the transfer goes through.
- DNI
- The Documento Nacional de Identificación has been the national identity document since the old identity card stopped being valid at the end of 2021. It is what a Honduran shows at the window, and the name you send to has to match it.
- Tigo Money
- The mobile wallet takes international remittances straight to the phone, through the transfer services it works with, with no bank account needed. None of the services we track prices a delivery to a mobile wallet on this route in our current data, so confirm with your service that it pays to Tigo Money.
One more point if you have been paying an agent in cash: since January 1, 2026, US remittances paid in cash, by money order or by cashier's check carry a 1% federal excise tax. Funding from a US bank account or card avoids it, and that is how every price on this page is figured.
Answers for Senders to Honduras
What is the cheapest way to get money to Honduras from the US?
Pay from your US bank account through a money transfer app, and compare the same delivery method across services, since a deposit, a cash pickup and a wallet payout are priced separately. In our latest quotes, $500 into a bank account is cheapest with Taptap Send (about $1.36). For cash pickup on $1,000, MoneyGram has the lowest standing price. Wiring it from your own bank costs up to $75 in fees alone, before the markup in the bank's lempira rate.
Why do so many services quote nearly the same lempira rate?
Because the rate itself has little room to wander. The Banco Central de Honduras sells dollars through a daily auction and moves the lempira within a crawling band, and it publishes a reference rate each day that the market watches. In our current data seven services convert within a fifth of a percent of the mid-market rate, which leaves the fee as the main difference between them.
What ID does my family need to collect cash in Honduras?
A government photo ID, which for Hondurans means the DNI, the national identity document that replaced the old identity card at the start of 2022, plus the transaction number from your receipt. The name you type when sending has to match the DNI.
Can I send money to a Tigo Money wallet?
Tigo Money takes international remittances straight into the wallet, through the transfer services it works with, and the recipient doesn't need a bank account. 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 that it pays to Tigo Money before you count on it.
How much do Hondurans abroad send home?
A record $12.2 billion in 2025, according to the Banco Central de Honduras, about a quarter more than in 2024 and almost all of it from the United States. Remittances are worth roughly a quarter of the Honduran economy.
Do I pay the new US remittance tax on a transfer to Honduras?
No, as long as the money comes from a bank account or a US debit or credit card. Since January 1, 2026, the 1% federal excise tax has fallen only on transfers paid in cash, by money order, by cashier's check or with a similar paper instrument.
Key Takeaways
- Taptap Send has the lowest standing price on $500 paid into a Honduran account in lempiras: about $1.36.
- The rates sit close together on this route, so the fee is the number to compare.
- Cash is collected with the DNI and the transaction number, and the names must match.
- The lempira crawls rather than floats, so waiting for a better day gains little.
- With a US bank account or card as the source of funds, the 1% tax on cash remittances never touches the transfer.
Check the Fee on Your Amount
Compare what each service keeps from your amount and how many lempiras land in the account.
Related Calculators & Guides
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A deposit or a cash pickup in Honduras, priced on your own amount.
The fee and rate for a Ria transfer to Honduras.
Sources & References
- Banco Central de Honduras
- IMF: Honduras fourth reviews under the ECF and EFF (Press Release 25/318)
- Revista E&N: remesas a Honduras en 2025
- La Prensa: el lempira frente al dólar en 2025
- El Heraldo: vence la vieja tarjeta de identidad
- IRS: Excise taxes
Provider pricing and exchange rates are set by the companies named and can change. Figures in this guide are checked against these official sources. Always confirm the live rate before you transact.