5

I want to visit Sudan for 2 months (mid January to mid March 2019). Sudan in the last 12 months had an inflation of 60% (that's a rough estimate).

General question

What impact will such an inflation rate have on a tourist over a 2 month period?

Specific questions

  1. Will a loaf of bread or a meal at a roadside stand cost more everyday?
  2. Is it wise on my first day in the country to exchange e.g $150 to 7500SDG to last me for a week? Or should I exchange smaller amounts e.g. $20 daily?

(I'm asking about Sudan but I assume the answers will apply to other countries with a high inflation.

Not sure if this is possible but I only want to know the consequences of high inflation and not of e.g. political problems, civil war, mass demonstrations, fleeing refugees, police violence, fuel shortages ... I guess if there's high inflation then there is a reason.)

|improve this question
  • I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's not about travel per se. – Giorgio Jan 9 at 14:55
  • 7
    It's about travelling to Sudan. Answers can apply to other countries with high inflation, e.g. Venezuela – user53784 Jan 9 at 14:56
  • 1
    It is probably a better fit to money.se, as surely a local Sudanese will face similar specific problems you have mentioned. – B.Liu Jan 9 at 15:06
  • 8
    I think it's a fine fit here. – Roddy of the Frozen Peas Jan 9 at 15:09
  • 4
    60% a year is a lot, but it's less than 5% a month (depending on how you compound it.) You're likely to see a more than 10% swing in prices just by what store or food stall you choose. Also you probably pay a service fee each time you exchange money, and that could really add up. – Kate Gregory Jan 9 at 15:21
2

Presuming that's the annual rate, which the most common way for inflation to be expressed, that means that the average price of goods will be average 60% higher in one years time.

Meaning, something that costs $1 on 01 JAN will cost $1.60 31 DEC. When prices actually increase is dependent on the merchants. In this case, merchants would raise their prices by ~$0.01 per week to keep up with inflation. Which translates to average 1.1% per week.

So, over the course of two months, you might see price increases of 10-15%, but maybe not. There's lots of seasonal factors involved as well.

When to change money is entirely based on you comfort with the risk of a possible ~10% price increase. And keep in mind, it's likely many exchanges can be performed using Dollars, Pounds or Euros.

I will say that changing many small amounts is likely to incur fees significantly greater than even a 60% inflation rate.

|improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.