Methodology & Data Sources

Primary Data Sources

• World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide (RPW): The authoritative global database of remittance transfer costs. Collected using mystery shopping — actual quotes obtained from service providers for standardized $200 transfers. Published quarterly. Available at remittanceprices.worldbank.org.
• World Bank World Development Indicators (WDI): Annual bilateral remittance flow volumes in USD billions. Used to show the scale of money movement on each corridor.

How Costs Are Measured

The World Bank RPW uses mystery shopping methodology: trained shoppers obtain actual quotes from service providers for a standardized $200 transfer from the sending country. Total cost includes two components:

• Service fee: The explicit fee charged by the provider
• Exchange rate margin: The difference between the mid-market exchange rate and the rate offered by the provider (their hidden markup)

Total cost is expressed as a percentage of the $200 amount. A 3% cost means $6 of a $200 transfer goes to fees and exchange rate margin, leaving $194 for the recipient.

Processing Pipeline

We download quarterly RPW data and combine it with bilateral remittance flow volumes from WDI. Our pipeline:

• Preserves original mystery-shopping methodology — costs as percentage of $200 transfer
• Identifies the cheapest available provider per corridor each quarter
• Computes historical quarterly cost trends for each corridor
• Aggregates country-level inbound and outbound corridor costs, flow volumes, and cheapest available rates

We do not modify, interpolate, or editorialize World Bank figures.

Coverage

PlainRemit covers 322 country-to-country corridors across 113 countries. Each corridor includes quarterly cost history going back to 2011, flow volume data (where available from WDI), and current cheapest provider information. Coverage spans all major remittance-receiving regions including South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, East Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. The largest corridors by flow volume (such as US-to-Mexico, US-to-India, and UAE-to-India) have the most comprehensive cost data with multiple providers surveyed each quarter.

Data Collection Method

The World Bank RPW data is collected through mystery shopping — trained researchers pose as customers and obtain actual transfer quotes from service providers in sending countries. This methodology captures the real cost a consumer would face, including both upfront fees and hidden exchange rate markups. The RPW surveys cover banks, money transfer operators (MTOs), post offices, and mobile money providers for each corridor. Surveys are conducted quarterly, providing a longitudinal record of how remittance costs change over time. This mystery shopping approach is considered the gold standard for remittance cost measurement because it reflects actual consumer pricing rather than advertised rates.

Update Schedule

The World Bank publishes updated RPW data quarterly. WDI bilateral flow data is updated annually. We refresh our database when new releases become available from either source. Between quarterly updates, actual transfer costs may shift due to exchange rate movements, competitive pricing changes, and new service provider entries. Always verify current rates directly with service providers before sending money internationally.

Limitations

• Transfer costs change frequently — always verify current rates directly with service providers before sending.
• The RPW uses a $200 standard transfer amount. Costs for different transfer amounts may be proportionally different (some services have flat fees; others have percentage-based fees).
• WDI bilateral flow data is available for major corridors; some smaller corridors may lack flow volume data.
• Provider availability varies by corridor — cheapest available rates reflect only the providers surveyed by the World Bank.
• Cryptocurrency and informal transfer channels (hawala, hand-carried cash) are not included in the RPW survey.

Editorial Workflow

Content on PlainRemit is compiled by our editorial team. Raw data from the World Bank RPW and WDI is ingested programmatically by our ETL pipeline; narrative framing, guide text, rankings commentary, and methodology writeups are drafted by our editorial team and then reviewed line-by-line by the PlainRemit Editorial team at Kiznis Studio before publication. We follow rigorous editorial standards: source data is loaded directly from official agencies, never invented or interpolated. No page on PlainRemit is published without human review. We do not accept payment for coverage, placement, or rankings — the "cheapest" and "most expensive" lists are computed directly from World Bank survey data.

Not Affiliated

PlainRemit is not affiliated with the World Bank, any money transfer operator, or any government agency. This site is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice.

Frequently Asked Questions