The Iranian Rial, the everyday confusion of "Tomans", and how to read prices without getting caught out.
The official currency of Iran is the Iranian Rial (IRR). While prices of goods are almost always written in Rials, newcomers are quickly confused by the widespread use of an alternative unit called the Toman.
Because the Rial is so weak, and to avoid saying so many zeros, locals routinely drop a zero from the Rial figure and quote the amount in Tomans. So:
- 100,000 IRR = 10,000 Tomans
It gets more confusing still when that same amount is casually shortened further — to “10 Tomans”! Ultimately, the context of the transaction, and a little experience, will tell you what is actually meant.
Rule of thumb. If a price sounds suspiciously small, the speaker is almost certainly quoting Tomans (or shorthand Tomans), not Rials. When in doubt, ask the seller to confirm the figure in Rials, or to show it written down.
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