Wide baskets of dried mopane worms and coarse salt stand on a market table at Oshakati.
Travel planning

Namibia Currency and Money Guide

Namibia runs two currencies at once, and the useful half of the fact is the one direction in which the arrangement does not work.
  • Country Namibia
  • Guide Budget
  • Reviewed 18 August 2026
  • Length 2 min read

Credit Pemba.mpimaji, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Last reviewed 18 August 2026

Namibia is the only country in this publication where you can pay in either of two currencies and both are legal tender. It is simple in practice and there is exactly one trap in it.

Two currencies, one direction

The Namibian dollar is issued by the Bank of Namibia and is pegged one to one with the South African rand. Both circulate. You will be handed change in a mixture and nobody will think anything of it.

The asymmetry is the fact that matters. Rand are accepted in Namibia. Namibian dollars are not accepted in South Africa. If your trip continues south, or transits Johannesburg with time to spend, change or spend your Namibian dollars before you cross. They are not much use once you have.

No exchange rate appears on this page. Because of the peg you can reason about the Namibian dollar and the rand together, but the rate against your own currency moves, and a printed one is wrong within weeks.

Cards and cash

Cards work in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and the established lodges, and in the larger supermarkets and fuel stations. Fuel is the exception worth planning for: at some stations, particularly remote ones, fuel is cash only, and running a tank low between towns on the assumption that a card will work is how people end up stranded.

Draw cash in a town. Distances here are long and the gaps between machines are longer than the gaps between fuel stops.

Safety around money

The one specific piece of advice worth repeating: do not change large sums of money in busy public areas. Muggings in Windhoek target visitors and happen in busy city center locations at any time of day. Use a hotel safe, keep cash out of sight, and split it.

Tipping and costs

Guides, trackers and camp staff are usually tipped at the end of a stay. Restaurants often add a service charge; check before adding another.

Namibia is cheaper than Botswana and more expensive than it looks, because the cost is in the distance. Fuel, vehicle hire and the extra day you did not plan are what the budget actually goes on.

Money, practically

  • Rand work in Namibia, Namibian dollars do not work in South Africa
  • Spend or change Namibian dollars before you cross south
  • Carry cash for fuel, because some stations do not take cards
  • Draw cash in a town rather than between them
  • Never change large sums in a busy public place
  • Look up the rate on the day rather than trusting a printed one
This guide is general orientation, not legal, medical or governmental advice. Entry, health and safety requirements change frequently and depend on your nationality, your route and your dates. Always confirm with the relevant authority before you travel.