PayPal Fees by Country (2026): 19 Markets Compared, Each Verified

PayPal publishes a separate merchant fee schedule for every country, and the differences are large: a domestic sale costs 2.9% + £0.30 in the UK, 3.49% + $0.49 in the United States, 3.4% + 25 Fils in the UAE, and in India PayPal does not process domestic payments at all. Below is every market we have verified, first side by side, then one at a time with the worked examples and the local traps that matter in each.

PayPal fees at a glance: every market we track

Rates as published on PayPal's own page for each market and recorded in the Global Fee Index. Countries with a full section below are linked from the table of contents; the index also covers markets we have not written up yet.

What moves the number from one country to the next

Three things, in order of size. The currency-conversion spread is the largest line on foreign income almost everywhere: 3% above PayPal's base rate in most of Europe, 4% for accounts in the Middle East, Africa and much of Asia, charged on the full amount rather than on the fee. Most sellers never see it because it appears as a worse exchange rate, not as a fee.

Second, the cross-border surcharge. The US schedule adds a flat 1.5% on commercial payments from abroad; the UK distinguishes EEA buyers (+1.29%) from the rest of the world (+1.99%); eurozone schedules carry their own tiers; and several Gulf and Asian markets have no domestic rate at all, only an international one, because PayPal there is a receiving tool for foreign income.

Third, the domestic rate and fixed fee, which is what most comparisons stop at. The percentage ranges from about 2.9% to 4.4% and the fixed fee from nothing to the local equivalent of $0.49; the fixed part is what makes PayPal expensive on small sales in some markets and irrelevant on large ones.

Which schedule applies is decided by where your PayPal business account is registered, not where your buyer is. Where the buyer's account sits decides whether the cross-border surcharge is added on top.

Countries covered on this page

Australia · Brazil · Canada · Egypt · France · Germany · Hong Kong · India · Italy · Japan · Kuwait · Mexico · Netherlands · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Spain · United Arab Emirates · United Kingdom

PayPal fees in Australia

PayPal Australia's headline rate is 2.90% + A$0.30 per domestic sale — but international payments add 1%, currency conversion adds 3–4%, and GST applies to every fee. Here is what an Australian seller or freelancer actually pays in 2026, with the math.

Domestic sales: 2.90% + A$0.30. When an Australian buyer pays an Australian seller, PayPal charges 2.90% of the amount plus A$0.30. On an A$100 sale that is A$3.20, so A$96.80 lands in your balance.

Compare that with Stripe Australia's 1.75% + A$0.30 for domestic cards — A$2.05 on the same sale. PayPal's premium buys buyer familiarity and one-click checkout; whether that is worth ~A$1.15 per A$100 depends on your audience.

International payments: +1.00%. Payments from buyers outside Australia add 1.00 percentage point, taking the rate to 3.90% + A$0.30. On an A$200 sale to a US buyer, the fee is A$8.10 instead of A$6.10.

That is before currency conversion — the surcharge applies even if the buyer pays in AUD.

Currency conversion: the 3–4% quiet fee. If the payment arrives in USD, GBP, or any non-AUD currency and PayPal converts it, the conversion spread is 3.0% — rising to 4.0% in some cases (such as delayed refunds). On international work this is routinely the single largest cost, bigger than the transaction fee itself.

Fixes: invoice in AUD so the buyer's side converts, or hold the foreign balance and spend it without converting. For regular overseas clients, compare a Wise transfer — typically 0.3–1% instead of 3–4%.

GST applies to PayPal fees. PayPal's fees to Australian business accounts attract 10% GST, added on top of the amounts above. A nominal A$3.20 fee actually costs A$3.52. GST-registered sellers claim it back on their BAS; sellers under the A$75,000 threshold wear it as a real cost.

Micropayments: cheaper under ~A$12. Sellers of low-priced items can ask PayPal to switch to the micropayments rate: 5.00% + A$0.05 domestic (6.00% international). The higher percentage but tiny fixed fee wins on any sale under about A$12 — on an A$5 sale it is A$0.30 instead of A$0.45.

The rate applies account-wide once enabled, so mixed-size sellers should do the math on their average sale first.

What an A$100 sale really costs. Domestic buyer, AUD: A$2.90 + A$0.30 = A$3.20 + GST A$0.32 = A$3.52 total. Net: A$96.48.

US buyer paying in USD: 3.90% + A$0.30 = A$4.20, plus 3% conversion (A$3.00), plus GST — over A$7.90 total on the same A$100. International PayPal income costs more than double domestic.

Source: PayPal Australia — Merchant fees. Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Brazil

Brazil is the clearest example on this site of a payment method costing many times what an alternative does. PayPal charges 4.79% on a domestic sale; Pix, which nearly every Brazilian already uses, costs 1.19% through Stripe. On foreign income the gap is wider still. Here are the 2026 numbers.

The rate card. A domestic commercial transaction costs 4.79% plus a fixed R$0.60. A cross-border sale adds 1.61%, taking it to 6.40% + R$0.60.

Conversion is charged separately at 3.50% above PayPal's base exchange rate for received payments, and 4.50% for all other currency conversions.

Domestically, the comparison is brutal. On a R$100 domestic sale, PayPal takes R$5.39. Pix through Stripe takes R$1.19. That is not a margin difference; it is a fourfold one.

On R$50,000 of monthly domestic revenue, PayPal costs roughly R$2,395 and Pix roughly R$595 — a difference of about R$21,600 a year.

There are real reasons a Brazilian store still offers PayPal: buyer familiarity, and dispute protection that some customers value. What there is not, is a price argument.

Foreign income: close to 10%. A cross-border payment costs 6.40% + R$0.60, and if PayPal converts the proceeds to reais, another 3.50%.

On a $1,000 payment that is roughly $64 in transaction fees and about $33 in conversion — close to $97, or 9.7%. That is the highest all-in cost of any country covered on this site.

For Brazilian freelancers and exporters, this is the number that justifies spending an afternoon setting up an alternative. Compare the same amount in the Wise and Payoneer calculators.

A practical setup. The structure that works for most Brazilian sellers is layered rather than exclusive: Pix as the default for domestic customers, cards for those who prefer them, and PayPal kept available but never promoted.

For foreign clients, be paid into a currency account and convert deliberately rather than letting PayPal do it at 3.50%. The rate you are quoted on conversion is where nearly all of the recoverable money sits — the transaction percentages are fixed.

Source: PayPal Brazil merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Canada

PayPal Canada charges 2.90% + C$0.30 on domestic sales — and because so much Canadian freelance and ecommerce income comes from US clients, the cross-border and conversion fees matter more here than almost anywhere else. Here is the full 2026 math.

Domestic sales: 2.90% + C$0.30. A Canadian buyer paying a Canadian seller costs 2.90% + C$0.30. On a C$100 sale that is C$3.20, leaving you C$96.80.

US buyers: +0.80% — the rate most Canadians actually pay. Payments from the United States add 0.80 percentage points (3.70% + C$0.30); payments from all other countries add 1.00% (3.90% + C$0.30).

For Canadian freelancers billing US clients — the most common setup — a US$1,000 invoice costs about US$37.30 in transaction fees before conversion even starts.

Currency conversion: 3–4% on USD income. When PayPal converts USD income to CAD, the spread is 3.0–4.0% above the mid-market rate. On US$1,000 that is US$30–40 — roughly doubling the total cost of receiving the payment.

Fixes: keep a USD balance and spend or withdraw it in USD where possible, or route regular US-client income through Wise or Payoneer, whose conversion typically costs 0.3–1%. For a full-time freelancer this difference is worth hundreds of dollars a year.

Micropayments: cheaper under ~C$12. PayPal's micropayments rate for Canada is 5.0% + C$0.05 (Canada and US payments). It beats the standard rate on sales under about C$12 — on a C$5 digital item, C$0.30 instead of C$0.45. It requires asking PayPal to enable it and applies account-wide.

What a US$1,000 invoice really costs a Canadian. Transaction fee: 3.70% + fixed = about US$37.30. Conversion to CAD at 3.5%: about US$35. Total: ~US$72 — roughly 7.2% of the invoice, more than double the headline rate.

The same invoice billed through Stripe (2.9% + C$0.30 + 2% conversion) costs roughly C$67; through Wise, often under C$15. Use the PayPal fee calculator's reverse mode to price invoices so you net your target after all layers.

Source: PayPal Canada — Merchant fees. Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Egypt

Egypt has one of the largest freelance workforces in the region, and most of it is paid from abroad. That makes PayPal's two Egyptian rates — 3.40% at home, 4.90% from overseas — and the region's 4% conversion spread among the most consequential numbers an Egyptian freelancer will meet. Here they are for 2026.

Two rates, depending on where the payer is. PayPal supports receiving commercial payments in Egypt. A domestic commercial transaction costs 3.40% plus a fixed fee; a payment from any other currency zone costs 4.90% plus a fixed fee.

The fixed amount depends on the currency you are paid in — for US dollars it is $0.30. Because most Egyptian PayPal income arrives from abroad, the 4.90% row is the one that applies to almost every real transaction.

Conversion is the larger of the two costs. PayPal converts at a spread of 4.0% above its base exchange rate for Middle East and Africa accounts — a full point above the 3% applied in Europe, and charged on the entire amount rather than on a fee.

On a $1,000 payment from a US client that is roughly $38 of conversion on top of $49.30 in transaction fees. All in, about $87, or 8.7% of the invoice.

What 8.7% means over a year. A freelancer billing $2,000 a month through PayPal loses roughly $2,100 a year to fees — more than a month of income, for a payment rail rather than a service.

That is the case for treating the payment method as a business decision rather than a default. The two levers that matter, in order: avoid PayPal's conversion by being paid and holding in a currency you can convert elsewhere, and quote the fee into your rate the way an agency would.

Compare what the same $1,000 costs through the alternatives in the Wise and Payoneer calculators before assuming PayPal is simply what one uses.

The regional picture. Egypt sits in the same conversion zone as the Gulf, so the 4% spread is identical across the region — what differs is the transaction rate. Egypt's domestic 3.40% is meaningfully below Saudi Arabia's 4.90%, while the international rate is the same in both.

For sellers rather than freelancers, PayPal fees in the UAE covers the third Gulf market, and Stripe UAE at 2.9% + AED 1.00 shows what card acceptance costs when it is priced locally instead.

Source: PayPal Egypt merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in France

France sits on the cheaper half of PayPal's euro-area rate card — 2,90%, against 3,40% in Italy and the Netherlands for exactly the same service. Add a separate structure for payments under five euros that almost nobody documents, and the real cost of PayPal in France depends heavily on what you sell.

The standard rate and the cross-border ladder. A commercial transaction costs 2,90% plus a fixed 0,35 €. What is added on top depends on where the buyer's account is registered — not the currency, and not where the goods go.

The same 100 € order therefore costs 3,25 € from a French or other EEA buyer, 4,54 € from a British one, and 5,24 € from an American one.

Under 5 € the structure changes. Payments below 5,00 € are charged at 5,0% + 0,10 € domestically, or 6,0% + 0,10 € internationally, instead of the standard rate. Higher percentage, much smaller fixed fee — and below five euros the fixed fee is what dominates.

On a 3 € sale that is 0,25 € instead of 0,44 €. On a 2 € sale, 0,20 € instead of 0,41 € — less than half.

For French sellers of small digital goods, tips, or single-file downloads, this makes the sub-5 € price point genuinely workable, which it is not under the standard structure.

PayPal prices the euro area country by country. This is the part most comparisons miss entirely: there is no single "eurozone PayPal rate". The same transaction costs a different percentage depending on which country your business is registered in.

France and Spain are the cheapest of the five markets we have verified; Italy and the Netherlands are 0,50 points dearer. On 200,000 € of annual card volume that spread is about 1,000 €.

Against card acceptance. Conversion, when PayPal performs it, costs 3,0% above the base exchange rate — charged on the whole amount, so on a rest-of-world payment it usually exceeds the transaction fee itself.

For comparison, Stripe France charges 1,5% + 0,25 € on an EEA card — roughly half the PayPal rate. PayPal earns its place at a French checkout on buyer trust, not price, and the sub-5 € tier is the one segment where it genuinely competes on cost.

Source: PayPal France merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Germany

PayPal is close to unavoidable in German e-commerce — and it is one of the more expensive ways to be paid there. The domestic rate is only the start: where your buyer's account sits adds up to two percentage points, and getting paid in a foreign currency adds three more. Here is every 2026 rate, with the break-even points worked out.

The domestic rate: 2.99% + €0.39. For a commercial transaction from a German buyer, PayPal takes 2.99% of the amount plus a fixed €0.39. On a €50 sale that is €1.89; on €200, €6.37.

The fixed €0.39 is what hurts small baskets. On a €10 sale the effective rate is 6.9%, more than double the headline. Below about €15 you are mostly paying the fixed fee, which is exactly where the micropayment rate below becomes relevant.

Cross-border: where the buyer's account is registered. PayPal adds a surcharge based on the country of the sender's account, not the currency and not where the goods go.

So the same €100 order costs €3.38 from a Dutch buyer, €4.67 from a British one, and €5.38 from an American one — for identical work.

The 3% currency conversion — the biggest single cost. If you are paid in a currency other than euro and PayPal converts it, it applies a spread of 3% above its base exchange rate. That is charged on the full amount, so it is almost always larger than the transaction fee itself.

A US client paying you US$1,000: the cross-border rate takes 4.98% + €0.39, and the conversion takes a further 3% of the whole sum. All in you lose roughly 8% of the invoice — about €80 on a €1,000-equivalent job, versus around €6 through a mid-market transfer service.

For recurring international income this is the number to attack first. Holding a USD balance and converting elsewhere, or invoicing through a lower-spread provider, saves far more than any negotiation on the 2.99%. Compare the difference in the Wise fee calculator.

Micropayments: cheaper below €15, worse above. PayPal offers approved accounts a micropayment rate of 4.99% + €0.09 — a higher percentage but a much smaller fixed fee, designed for low-value digital sales.

The two rates cross exactly at €15: 2.99% + €0.39 and 4.99% + €0.09 both come to €0.84 on a €15 sale. Below €15 micropayments win, above it the standard rate does — so it is worth applying only if your typical order is genuinely small.

What this means for German freelancers. If you invoice EU clients, PayPal at 2.99% + €0.39 is competitive with card processing and far simpler than chasing SEPA transfers — and a plain SEPA transfer, which costs nothing, is still cheaper if the client will use it.

If you invoice outside the EU, PayPal is one of the most expensive routes available once conversion is counted. The pattern that saves German freelancers the most money is boringly consistent: SEPA for European clients, a low-spread transfer service for everyone else, and PayPal kept for buyers who insist on it.

Source: PayPal Germany merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Hong Kong

Hong Kong pays PayPal's highest Asian domestic rate and its lowest cross-border surcharge — an odd combination that actually fits the city: almost every sale crosses a border anyway. Here are the 2026 numbers and what they mean for a trading hub.

The rate card. A domestic commercial transaction costs 3.90% plus a fixed HK$2.35. Cross-border payments add just 0.50%, taking it to 4.40% + HK$2.35.

Converting received payments costs 3.00% above PayPal's base exchange rate; other conversions cost 4.00%.

The 0.50% border — shared with Japan and Mexico. For a city where most customers are somewhere else, the surcharge matters more than the base rate. At 0.50%, Hong Kong ties with Japan and Mexico for PayPal's gentlest cross-border tier, against 1.99% in Europe.

A US$500 payment from an American buyer costs about US$22.35 in transaction fees — 4.5% — before conversion. The same payment to a German seller costs 4.98% + €0.39.

Where the money leaks: conversion. Hong Kong sellers often hold multi-currency balances, and that is where PayPal's pricing punishes inattention: 3% to convert received payments, 4% on other conversions — charged on the full amount.

On US$10,000 a month of USD income converted to HKD by default, the 3% spread is US$3,600 a year. Holding the dollars and converting through a provider that quotes the spread openly recovers most of it — compare in the Wise and Payoneer calculators.

Against Stripe in Hong Kong. Stripe charges 3.4% + HK$2.35 — identical fixed fee, half a point less on the percentage, and a 0.5% international surcharge that matches PayPal's. For domestic and card-based checkout Stripe is simply cheaper; PayPal's case is the buyer network.

See the regional set in PayPal fees in Singapore and Japan, and run your own numbers in the PayPal fee calculator.

Source: PayPal Hong Kong merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in India

The single most important fact about PayPal in India is one that most published guides still get wrong: it does not process domestic payments at all. For Indian freelancers and exporters it is an international-receivables tool only — and an expensive one once conversion is counted. Here are the 2026 numbers.

Domestic payments: not supported. PayPal's own India fee page states plainly that for India users only international payments are supported. You cannot use it to take payment from a customer in India.

Articles and forum answers describing Indian domestic PayPal rates are describing a service that no longer exists in this market. If you are selling to Indian customers, the choice is between the domestic gateways — including Stripe India at 2% on local cards — and PayPal is simply not one of the options.

International payments: 4.40% + ₹3.00. Every international commercial transaction costs 4.40% of the amount plus a fixed ₹3.00. There are no volume tiers — the rate is the same on a $50 payment and a $5,000 one.

By international standards that is high. The equivalent PayPal rate is 2.99% + €0.39 in Germany and 3.49% + $0.49 in the United States. Indian sellers pay roughly a percentage point and a half more than their German counterparts on the same transaction, before conversion.

Conversion is where most of the money goes. PayPal converts the payment to rupees before it reaches your bank, at a spread above its own base exchange rate: 3.0% for standard conversions, and 4.00% for all other currency conversions.

That spread is charged on the whole amount, so it is usually larger than the 4.40% transaction fee itself. Together they define the real cost of being paid through PayPal in India.

What Indian exporters do instead. At 7–8% all-in, PayPal is one of the most expensive ways for an Indian business to be paid from abroad. On ₹50 lakh of annual export revenue that is ₹3.5–4 lakh a year in fees.

The two structural alternatives are worth the setup time. Charging the client directly on their card through a processor priced for the corridor — for foreign cards, Stripe India charges 3% when you bill in rupees rather than 4.3% in dollars — or receiving through a specialist provider that prices conversion at a fraction of PayPal's spread. Compare both in the Payoneer and Wise calculators.

Keep PayPal for clients who will pay no other way. It is a convenience worth paying for occasionally, and an expensive default.

Source: PayPal India merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Italy

There is no single eurozone PayPal rate, and Italy is on the wrong side of that fact. An Italian business pays 3,40% where a French or Spanish one pays 2,90% for an identical transaction — a 17% difference in cost that appears on no comparison chart. Here are the 2026 numbers.

The rate card. A commercial transaction costs 3,40% plus a fixed 0,35 €. The surcharge above that depends on where the buyer's account sits:

So a 100 € order costs 3,75 € from an EEA buyer, 5,04 € from a British one, and 5,74 € from an American one.

What the eurozone spread costs an Italian seller. PayPal prices each euro-area market separately, and the gap is not trivial:

On 100.000 € of annual PayPal volume, an Italian business pays roughly 500 € more than a French one for the same transactions. It is not something you can negotiate or reroute — but it is worth knowing when you are deciding how prominently to offer PayPal at checkout.

The sub-5 € tier is the one place Italy wins. Payments under 5,00 € are charged 5,0% + 0,10 € domestically, or 6,0% + 0,10 € internationally, instead of the standard rate.

Because the fixed fee drops from 0,35 € to 0,10 €, small sales become dramatically cheaper: a 3 € sale costs 0,25 € instead of 0,45 €. At that size the percentage barely matters and the fixed fee is nearly everything.

For Italian sellers of low-value digital goods this changes what is viable — and it applies automatically, with no programme to join.

The alternative costs less than half. Conversion, where PayPal performs it, is 3,0% above the base exchange rate on the full amount.

Set against card acceptance the gap is stark: Stripe charges 1,5% + 0,25 € on an EEA card anywhere in the euro area, Italy included. That is 1,75 € on a 100 € sale against PayPal's 3,75 €.

The honest conclusion is the same one that holds across Europe: offer PayPal because some customers will not check out without it, price it in, and do not make it the default button.

Source: PayPal Italy merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Japan

Japan gets one of PayPal's mildest cross-border surcharges anywhere — half a point — which makes it look like a good deal for export sellers right up until the currency conversion line: 4% above the base rate, among the highest outside the Middle East. Here are the 2026 numbers and where the money actually goes.

The rate card. A domestic commercial transaction costs 3.60% plus a fixed ¥40. Payments from abroad add 0.50%, taking it to 4.10% + ¥40.

Conversion is charged separately: 4.00% above PayPal's base exchange rate on payments and refunds received, and 3.00% on balance conversions.

The 0.50% surcharge is genuinely rare. PayPal's cross-border surcharges run to 1.99% in Europe and 1.61% in Brazil. Japan's 0.50% matches Mexico and Hong Kong as the gentlest anywhere we have verified.

For a Japanese seller on international marketplaces, that makes the transaction side of PayPal reasonably priced: a US$100 payment costs about $4.50 in fees before conversion — less than a German seller pays on the same payment.

Conversion is where Japan gets expensive. The 4.00% conversion spread on received payments is a full point above Europe's 3% and level with the Middle East. Charged on the whole amount, it is nearly always the largest line on foreign income.

A US$1,000 payment: 4.10% + ¥40 in transaction fees, then 4% of the remainder to convert — roughly 8.1% all in. Holding the dollars and converting elsewhere removes most of that second line; compare the same amount in the Wise and Payoneer calculators.

Against the local alternative. Stripe Japan charges a flat 3.6% with no fixed fee — the same percentage as PayPal's domestic rate, minus the ¥40. On small transactions that fixed fee is the entire difference: a ¥500 sale costs 11.6% through PayPal and exactly 3.6% through Stripe.

The pattern that works for most Japanese sellers: Stripe or a local gateway for domestic checkout, PayPal kept for the international buyers who insist on it, and conversion routed deliberately rather than left to the 4% default.

Source: PayPal Japan merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Kuwait

Kuwait gets one of the better PayPal transaction rates in the Gulf — a point and a half below Saudi Arabia — and exactly the same 4% conversion spread as every other account in the region. Since most Kuwaiti PayPal income arrives in dollars, that spread is where the money actually goes. Here are the 2026 numbers.

The two rates. A domestic commercial transaction costs 3.40% plus a fixed fee. A payment arriving from another currency zone costs 4.40% plus a fixed fee. The fixed amount depends on the currency received — $0.30 for US dollars.

Conversion is charged separately at 4.0% above PayPal's base exchange rate, the standard Middle East and Africa spread.

How the Gulf compares. PayPal does not price the Gulf as one market. Kuwait, Qatar, and Egypt sit on a 3.40% domestic rate while Saudi Arabia is charged 4.90% — a difference of a point and a half on identical work.

The conversion spread, however, is 4.0% everywhere in the region, one full point above the 3% charged in Europe. That is the number no Gulf seller can price around by changing country.

What a foreign payment really costs. Take a $1,000 payment from a client abroad. PayPal takes 4.40% plus $0.30, then converts what is left at 4% above its base rate.

That is 8.2% — and the conversion is nearly half of it. For a Kuwaiti freelancer or small exporter, the transaction rate is fixed and the conversion is not: being paid into a currency you can hold, then converting through a provider that quotes the spread openly, removes most of that second line.

Where to go from here. Compare what the same $1,000 costs through the alternatives in the Wise and Payoneer calculators before treating PayPal as the default.

For the rest of the region, see PayPal fees in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and the UAE. For what card acceptance costs when priced locally instead, Stripe UAE is 2.9% + AED 1.00.

Source: PayPal Kuwait merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Mexico

PayPal's Mexican rate is high but its cross-border surcharge is unusually mild — half a point, against nearly two in Europe. That makes it a poor choice for domestic sales and a more defensible one for foreign income, right up until the conversion fee arrives. Here are the 2026 numbers.

The rate card. A domestic commercial transaction costs 3.95% plus a fixed MXN 4.00. Payments originating outside Mexico add 0.50%, taking the rate to 4.45% + MXN 4.00.

When PayPal converts a foreign currency for you, it charges 3.50% above its base exchange rate, plus VAT.

Domestically, Stripe is simply cheaper. On a Mexican sale to a Mexican customer, PayPal costs 3.95% + MXN 4.00 against Stripe's 3.6% + MXN 3.00. On MXN 500 that is MXN 23.75 against MXN 21.00 — about 13% more, on every order.

Across MXN 1,000,000 of annual domestic revenue the gap is roughly MXN 5,000. PayPal earns its slot at Mexican checkouts on buyer trust and familiarity, not on price, and it is worth being clear-eyed about which of those you are buying.

The 0.50% cross-border surcharge is genuinely low. By PayPal's standards half a point is nothing. A German seller pays 1.99% on a rest-of-world payment; a Brazilian seller pays 1.61%; a Mexican seller pays 0.50%.

That makes PayPal comparatively reasonable for Mexican businesses selling into the United States — 4.45% + MXN 4.00 on a payment that would cost a European seller considerably more.

The qualifier is conversion. At 3.50% plus VAT on the full amount, it is once again larger than the transaction fee: a $1,000 US payment costs roughly $44.50 in fees and about $33 more in conversion, close to 8% all in.

Where the money is actually saved. The transaction rates are fixed and not worth agonising over. The conversion is not: being paid in dollars, holding the balance, and converting through a provider that prices the spread transparently removes the single largest line on a foreign payment.

Compare the difference on a realistic amount in the Wise and Payoneer calculators. For the Latin American picture more broadly, PayPal fees in Brazil shows a market where both numbers are considerably worse.

Source: PayPal Mexico merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Netherlands

The Netherlands is on PayPal's expensive euro-area tier at 3,40%, and holds one small compensation: the cheapest micropayment fixed fee of any eurozone market we have verified. For a country where most shoppers would rather pay by bank transfer anyway, both facts matter more than they look.

The rate card. A commercial transaction costs 3,40% plus a fixed 0,35 €. The cross-border surcharge follows PayPal's standard European ladder, based on where the buyer's account is registered:

The micropayment fixed fee is 0,05 € — the lowest we have found. Approved accounts can use a micropayment rate of 5,0% plus a fixed 0,05 € on payments under 5,00 €. France and Italy charge 0,10 € on the equivalent tier; Spain charges 0,05 €.

At these amounts the fixed fee is most of the cost, so halving it is a bigger deal than the percentage. A 2 € sale costs 0,15 € in the Netherlands against 0,20 € in France — and 0,42 € under the standard structure.

Unlike the automatic sub-5 € tiers in France, Spain, and Italy, the Dutch micropayment rate requires approval, so it is worth asking for explicitly if small payments are your business.

Where the Netherlands sits in the euro area. PayPal charges a different percentage in each euro-area country, and the Netherlands shares the top of the range with Italy:

That is half a point above France and Spain on every single transaction, for identical service — roughly 500 € a year on 100.000 € of volume.

Conversion, and the cheaper alternative. Conversion costs 3,00% above PayPal's base exchange rate when PayPal performs it, charged on the full amount — which on a rest-of-world payment typically exceeds the 5,39% transaction fee.

Card acceptance is far cheaper: Stripe charges 1,5% + 0,25 € on an EEA card across the euro area. In a market where a large share of shoppers reach for a bank-based method first, PayPal at 3,40% is a convenience premium worth pricing into the product rather than absorbing.

Source: PayPal Netherlands merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Qatar

Qatar sits on PayPal's better Gulf tier for transactions and its worse one for currency — 3.40% at home against Saudi Arabia's 4.90%, but the same 4% conversion spread that applies across the whole Middle East and Africa region. For anyone billing abroad, the second number is the one that decides the bill.

The rate card. Qatar is priced in PayPal's "all other markets" band: 3.40% plus a fixed fee on a domestic commercial transaction, and 4.40% plus a fixed fee on one from another currency zone. For dollars the fixed fee is $0.30.

Conversion costs 4.0% above PayPal's base exchange rate — the Middle East and Africa rate, a full point above Europe's 3%.

Small orders and the fixed fee. The fixed $0.30 is modest, but on the low-value digital sales that many Qatari creators and consultants make it lifts the effective rate well above the headline:

Below roughly $30 you are paying meaningfully more than 3.40%, which is the arithmetic behind a minimum order value or a bundled package rather than single small items.

Foreign income: 8.3% all in. A $1,000 payment from a client abroad costs 4.40% + $0.30 in transaction fees and then 4% of what remains to convert — about $82.50 in total.

Roughly 46% of that is conversion. It is also the only part you can do something about: the transaction rate is fixed, but where and how the currency is converted is a choice. Compare the same amount in the Wise and Payoneer calculators.

Qatar in the regional picture. Qatar and Kuwait are priced identically. Egypt shares the 3.40% domestic rate but pays 4.90% on foreign payments. Saudi Arabia pays 4.90% on both.

See PayPal fees in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE for the full regional set.

Source: PayPal Qatar merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Saudi Arabia

Saudi sellers pay one of PayPal's highest commercial rates anywhere in the world, and the region's currency conversion spread is a percentage point above the European one. Together they put the real cost of a foreign payment close to nine percent. Here are the 2026 numbers and what to do about them.

The commercial rate: 4.90% plus a fixed fee. PayPal charges Saudi accounts 4.90% plus a fixed fee to receive a commercial payment. The fixed amount depends on the currency you are paid in — for US dollars it is $0.30.

The same 4.90% applies whether the buyer is local or abroad, which at least makes the arithmetic simple. It also means there is no cheaper domestic tier to move customers onto, unlike in Europe.

For context, PayPal charges 2.99% + €0.39 in Germany and 3.49% + $0.49 in the United States. A Saudi seller pays close to two percentage points more than a German one on an identical transaction.

Conversion in the Middle East is 4%, not 3%. When PayPal converts a currency for a Middle East and Africa account, it applies a spread of 4.0% above its base exchange rate — a full point higher than the 3% charged in Europe.

Because the spread applies to the entire amount, it is normally the larger of the two costs on a foreign payment. The two together are what make the all-in figure close to nine percent.

Small orders are worse again. The fixed fee is small in absolute terms but it lands on top of an already high percentage, so low-value sales carry an effective rate well above the headline.

For anyone selling digital goods or small items to a Saudi audience, this is the number that decides whether PayPal is viable as a checkout option at all — and the arithmetic that justifies a minimum order value.

What to do about it. Three things move the number, in order of how much they are worth.

First, avoid the conversion. Being paid in a currency you hold, and converting through a provider that prices the spread rather than burying it, removes the single largest line — compare the difference in the Wise and Payoneer calculators.

Second, price the fee in rather than absorbing it. At 5–9% depending on order size, PayPal acceptance is a real cost of sale, not an overhead — treat it the way you would a marketplace commission.

Third, offer an alternative at checkout. Local card acceptance in the Gulf is priced well below PayPal's rate; the neighbouring market gives a sense of the gap, with Stripe UAE at 2.9% + AED 1.00 against PayPal's UAE rates.

Source: PayPal Saudi Arabia merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Singapore

Singapore is an expensive card market, and PayPal sits at the top of it: 3.90% + S$0.50 domestically, against a local PayNow rail that costs 1.3% through Stripe. For a hub economy built on cross-border trade, where each payment method routes is worth real margin. Here are the 2026 numbers.

The rate card. A domestic commercial transaction costs 3.90% plus a fixed S$0.50. Payments from most other markets cost 4.40% + S$0.50.

Converting a non-SGD balance or payment costs 3.0% above PayPal's base exchange rate — the Asia-Pacific tier, gentler than Japan's 4%.

The local comparison is brutal. On a S$100 domestic sale, PayPal takes S$4.40. PayNow through Stripe takes S$1.30, and even a Stripe card payment takes S$3.90.

Across S$20,000 of monthly domestic revenue, PayPal costs roughly S$880 and PayNow roughly S$260 — a S$7,400 annual difference on the same sales. PayPal earns its checkout slot on buyer familiarity for international customers, not on price.

Where PayPal still makes sense in Singapore. Inbound international payments from buyers who will not use anything else — and Singapore's export-heavy freelance and e-commerce economy has many. At 4.40% + S$0.50 plus 3% conversion, a US$1,000 payment costs about 7.3% all in.

That is high but not the region's worst, and the fix is the usual one: hold the foreign currency where possible and convert deliberately. Compare the conversion side in the Wise and Payoneer calculators.

The regional picture. Singapore and Hong Kong share the 3.90% domestic tier — the highest PayPal charges in Asia — while Japan sits at 3.60% with a far harsher 4% conversion. See PayPal fees in Hong Kong and Japan for the neighbours, and run your own numbers in the PayPal fee calculator.

Source: PayPal Singapore merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in Spain

Spain gets a slightly better PayPal rate than Germany and one feature almost no other market publishes: payments under five euros are charged on a different, cheaper structure automatically. Most Spanish sellers of low-value digital goods have no idea it exists. Here are the 2026 numbers.

The standard rate and the cross-border ladder. A commercial transaction costs 2,90% plus a fixed 0,35 €. The surcharge above that depends on where the buyer's account sits, not the currency:

So the same 100 € order costs 3,25 € from a Spanish or other EEA buyer, 4,54 € from a British one, and 5,24 € from an American one.

Under 5 €, the rate structure changes in your favour. PayPal charges transactions below 5,00 € at 5,0% + 0,05 € instead of 2,90% + 0,35 €. The percentage is higher and the fixed fee is much lower — and below five euros, the fixed fee is what matters.

On a 3 € sale that is 0,20 € instead of 0,44 €. Less than half, applied automatically, on exactly the transactions that are otherwise uneconomic.

For anyone selling low-value digital items in Spain — single files, small credits, tips — this changes what is viable. A 2 € product costs 0,15 € to collect rather than 0,41 €.

Conversion at 3%. When PayPal converts a currency it applies 3,0% above its base exchange rate — the standard European spread, and one point below the 4% charged in the Middle East and Africa.

It is still charged on the full amount, so on a rest-of-world payment it typically exceeds the 4,89% transaction fee. A $1,000 US payment costs roughly 4,89% plus 3% of what remains: close to 7,8% all in.

Spain against the rest of the euro area. Spain's 2,90% + 0,35 € is marginally cheaper than Germany's 2,99% + 0,39 € — about 0,13 € less on a 100 € sale. The cross-border ladder is identical in both.

Against card acceptance the gap is wider: Stripe charges 1,5% + 0,25 € on an EEA card, roughly half the PayPal rate. As elsewhere in Europe, PayPal is a trust product rather than a price one — and the sub-5 € tier is the one place where it genuinely wins on cost.

Source: PayPal Spain merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in United Arab Emirates

PayPal is widely used by UAE freelancers and small merchants for receiving payments from overseas clients, but the real cost is higher than the headline rate suggests. Cross-border surcharges and a 3% currency-conversion fee on every AED withdrawal eat into payouts. Here is what a UAE PayPal seller actually pays in 2026.

What PayPal UAE is — and is not. PayPal in the UAE is primarily set up to receive payments from overseas. You can hold balances in USD, EUR, or GBP, and withdraw to a linked UAE bank account in AED. Sending domestic UAE-to-UAE payments via PayPal is supported but uncommon — local apps and direct bank transfer dominate that use case.

For freelancers serving US/EU clients, the appeal is buyer recognition: most overseas clients already have PayPal. The trade-off is fees stack higher than alternatives like Payoneer or Wise Business.

Receiving payments for goods & services. When an overseas client pays you for goods or services, the standard rate is 4.4% + a fixed fee in the received currency (about US$0.30 for USD payments) — higher than US PayPal's 3.49% because cross-border is built into the rate. The exact rate depends on the sender's country.

Personal friends-and-family payments are different (and free for the sender), but using them for commercial work violates PayPal's terms and strips both sides of buyer/seller protection. Stick to invoiced goods-and-services payments for client work.

Cross-border and currency conversion. Almost every transaction you receive in the UAE is cross-border, since most clients are overseas. Currency conversion when funds settle to AED costs about 3% on top of the spot rate — that is on the entire payment amount, not just the fee.

Combined with the 4.4% receiving fee, a $1,000 USD invoice from a US client ends up netting roughly AED 3,440–3,470 (depending on the exact day's exchange rate) instead of the AED 3,673 you would get at the mid-market rate. The total real cost is ~6–7%.

Withdrawal to your UAE bank. PayPal allows direct bank transfer to UAE bank accounts. Withdrawal itself is free in some flows, but the currency conversion (USD/EUR → AED) is built into the exchange rate Pal uses, which sits about 3% below the mid-market rate.

Withdrawals typically take 3–5 business days to clear. For freelancers receiving recurring monthly invoices, this delay matters less than the conversion cost.

Cheaper alternatives UAE freelancers use. Payoneer: very popular with UAE freelancers — 2% currency conversion (vs PayPal's 3%) and free USD receiving accounts for clients to wire-transfer. Best for higher-ticket invoices where 1% matters.

Wise Business: 0.6–1% currency conversion at the mid-market rate, plus local receiving accounts in USD/EUR/GBP. Cheaper than PayPal for most flows.

Stripe (UAE): launched for businesses with a UAE Trade License. Card processing rates are lower than PayPal's, useful if your clients can pay by card invoice instead of PayPal account.

A worked example: $1,000 client invoice. PayPal: ~$44 receiving fee + ~3% on conversion = roughly $74 in total costs. You see AED ~3,440 in your bank.

Payoneer: ~2% conversion + small flat = roughly $24–30 in total costs. AED ~3,580.

Wise: ~$8–12 + 0.6–1% conversion = roughly $14–22. AED ~3,610.

If your client insists on PayPal, that is the cost of convenience. If they will accept anything, the cheaper options compound across a year.

Source: PayPal UAE merchant fees (official). Last reviewed August 2026.

PayPal fees in United Kingdom

PayPal UK charges 2.9% + £0.30 on domestic sales, with two different cross-border surcharges — 1.29% for EEA buyers and 1.99% for everyone else — plus a 3% currency-conversion spread. Here is what UK sellers and freelancers actually pay in 2026.

Domestic sales: 2.9% + £0.30. A UK buyer paying a UK seller costs 2.9% + £0.30. On a £100 sale that is £3.20, leaving you £96.80.

For comparison, Stripe's UK domestic card rate is roughly half PayPal's percentage. PayPal's premium buys the familiar checkout button and balance-funded payments.

Cross-border: two tiers since Brexit. Payments from EEA countries add 1.29% (4.19% + £0.30 total). Payments from everywhere else — including the US — add 1.99% (4.89% + £0.30 total).

A £500 payment from a US client therefore costs £24.75 in transaction fees alone, before any currency conversion.

Currency conversion: 3% above the base rate. When PayPal converts USD or EUR income to GBP, it applies a 3% spread above its base exchange rate, on top of the transaction fee. On regular international income this quietly becomes the biggest cost layer.

Fixes: invoice in GBP so the client's side converts, hold the foreign balance, or route repeat international income through Wise (typically ~0.3–0.6% conversion).

Micropayments: for sub-£5 sales. UK sellers of low-priced digital items can apply for PayPal's micropayments rate: 5% + £0.05 domestic. On a £3 sale that is £0.20 instead of £0.39 — nearly half. It needs pre-approval from PayPal and suits accounts where most sales are small.

What a US$1,000 client payment really costs. Transaction fee at the non-EEA rate: 4.89% + fixed ≈ US$49.20. Conversion to GBP at 3%: ≈ US$28.50. Total ≈ US$78 — about 7.8% of the invoice.

Price it in: use the PayPal fee calculator reverse mode to work out what to invoice so you net your target after both layers.

Source: PayPal UK — Merchant fees. Last reviewed August 2026.

How to use this page

Find your country below for the full breakdown, then put your own numbers into the PayPal fee calculator, which models the US schedule by default and lets you type in any rate. For the same comparison across Stripe and Shopify, see the Global Fee Index; for how PayPal's US rates reached their current levels, see the PayPal fee history.

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the cheapest PayPal fees?

On the domestic rate, the UK and most eurozone countries at 2.9% plus a small fixed fee are cheapest; the US at 3.49% + $0.49 and markets with no domestic service (India, several Gulf states) are the most expensive once cross-border and conversion are counted.

Does PayPal charge the same fee in every country?

No. Each country has its own schedule, published on PayPal's local merchant-fees page. The rates below are read from those pages and dated; the US page carries an effective date of 15 July 2026.

Can I open a PayPal account in a cheaper country?

Not legitimately. The account country must match where the business is established; PayPal verifies it and can limit accounts that misstate it. The practical levers are invoicing in your own currency, holding foreign balances, and routing large repeat payments through a cheaper rail such as Wise or Payoneer.

Sources

• PayPal Australia — Merchant fees
• PayPal Brazil merchant fees (official)
• PayPal Canada — Merchant fees
• PayPal Egypt merchant fees (official)
• PayPal France merchant fees (official)
• PayPal Germany merchant fees (official)
• PayPal Hong Kong merchant fees (official)
• PayPal India merchant fees (official)
• PayPal Italy merchant fees (official)
• PayPal Japan merchant fees (official)
• PayPal Kuwait merchant fees (official)
• PayPal Mexico merchant fees (official)
• PayPal Netherlands merchant fees (official)
• PayPal Qatar merchant fees (official)
• PayPal Saudi Arabia merchant fees (official)
• PayPal Singapore merchant fees (official)
• PayPal Spain merchant fees (official)
• PayPal UAE merchant fees (official)
• PayPal UK — Merchant fees

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• PayPal Fee Calculator
• Wise Fee Calculator
• Payoneer Fee Calculator
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