Local vs Tourist Price Calculator
Knowing the local price is the first step to spending fairly. Line up your quotes against the going rate and see exactly where the tourist premium bites.
The tourist premium
| Item | Tourist | Local | Mark-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taxi from the station | 30 | 10 | 200% |
| Bowl of noodles | 12 | 5 | 140% |
| Handmade souvenir | 45 | 25 | 80% |
How the comparison works
For each item the tool works out the mark-up — how much higher the tourist price is than the local one, as a percentage — and the cash you overpay. It then totals both columns, so you can see the whole basket at once, and expresses the overall premium as a weighted average against the local total.
Used before you buy, it turns a vague feeling of being overcharged into specifics: which items are fairly priced, which carry a small visitor premium worth shrugging off, and which are so far out of line that they are worth a polite negotiation or a walk to the next stall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is there a 'tourist price' at all?
In many places visitors are quoted more than locals — sometimes through official dual pricing at sites and transport, more often informally at markets, taxis, and restaurants without posted prices. Some of it reflects genuine cost differences and it is not always unfair, but a large, systematic gap is worth knowing about so you can decide when to negotiate, walk on, or simply pay it with your eyes open.
How do I find the local price?
Ask at your guesthouse, check posted menus and official fare charts, watch what people ahead of you pay, or compare a few vendors before buying. Even a rough local benchmark is enough for this tool — the goal is to spot the items where the mark-up is wildly out of line, not to haggle over small change.
Isn't paying a bit more part of supporting local people?
Paying a fair price directly to a cook, driver, or maker is one of the best things travel does for a local economy. The problem is not a modest premium; it is a large, opaque mark-up, or money that flows to middlemen rather than the community. Seeing the gap helps you choose where your spending genuinely lands — which is the whole point of travelling against the tourist grain.
How is the average mark-up worked out?
It is weighted, not a simple average of the per-item percentages. The tool sums all the tourist prices and all the local prices, then expresses the difference as a percentage of the local total. That stops a single cheap item with a huge percentage mark-up from distorting the overall picture.
Educational tool only. Prices vary with season, place, and bargaining; a fair premium is normal and not every gap is unjust. Use the figures as a guide, not a verdict.