How much is a Galleon worth? Harry Potter money questions answered

We’re going to call it… if you say that as a child you never bellowed a Harry Potter spell so loud your neighbours heard it, longingly stared at your letterbox hoping a Hogwarts acceptance letter would appear, or counted your pennies worth of Galleons then you’re a bold-faced liar.

Well, guess what? We’re adults now. Adults with jobs, ambitions and responsibilities. Which is exactly why you need to put silly things like memorising spells in the past, and focus on more grown-up tasks…like Harry Potter currency conversion.

You know that if there’s one thing we take very seriously here at Wise, it’s currency conversion and getting you a great rate across the world, and now we’re considering the wizarding world too.

We take it so seriously that we’ve put together this very useful article on how much Harry Potter money is worth and what it’ll get you in different currencies. Yes, that’s right, we actually spent time doing this.

Like the human world, wizarding currency varies too. We focused on the British currency which consists of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts. (American Wizards use Dragots and French Wizards use Bezants.)

So without further ado, here’s our conversion of Galleons to pounds and what it’ll get you. Please note: the real conversion rate would depend on the deal your muggle bank has with Gringotts.

✨🪄Convert muggle money🪄✨

How much is a Galleon worth?

So, let’s take it from the top. How much is a Galleon actually worth? According to J.K.Rowling, 1 Galleon is worth about 5 pounds. But, “about” isn’t good enough for us, so we took a trip to the impressively detailed Harry Potter Wiki fan page. Join us as we go down a witchy currency rabbit hole:¹

• 1 Galleon is worth £4.93
• 1 Sickle is worth £0.29
• 1 Knut is worth £0.01

With this information at hand, we can now fulfill the very important task of becoming a Harry Potter currency converter and seeing how much it would cost us to swap Oxford Street purchases for Diagon Alley.

What supplies do you need for Hogwarts and what’ll it cost you?

Hogwarts is actually free to attend, with everything paid for by the Ministry of Magic. The only thing you have to cover is the cost of school supplies, which vary from year to year. If you were to attend Hogwarts for the full seven years, you’d be spending around £938.90 on books alone (cheaper kindle options not available.)

Here's a breakdown of what a few of the items would cost you:²

• A mid-range broom: £1145
• A wand: £80.15
• Cauldron: £171.75
• Robes and uniform: £505.17
• An Owl: £114.50
• A telescope: £57.25
• Crystal phials for potions: £80.15

If you're not U.K. based, fear not, you can figure out what these trinkets will cost you using our calculator:

So, you’ve got the gear, and your newly acquired Harry Potter currency conversion knowledge. But before you take a seat in the Great Hall and tuck into a Pumpkin Pastie, you’ll need to become familiar with the price of other things in the magical realm…

The Triwizard Tournament prize money

If you’re feeling brave and want to rack up some money to spend down The Leaky Cauldron, then you can test your odds at winning the Triwizard Tournament. The prize? 1000 Galleons - £4,930.

A fine on Mr Weasley’s flying car

Ever wondered how much you’d have to pay for any illegal driving in a flying Ford Anglia? Well, here you go: 50 Galleons - £246.5.

An advanced potion making book

Want to impress Professor Slughorn and bag yourself a vial of Liquid Luck? Well then, add this to your shopping list for 9 Galleons - £44.37.

A basic Blaze Box

The Blaze Box is a product of Fred and George’s Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes that you can purchase at 93 Diagon Alley. The box contains a variety of magical fireworks such as whammy rockets and whizz-bangs. How much will it set you back? 1 Galleon, 16 Sickles and 9 Knuts - £21.31.

A pile of sweets from the trolley on the train

Feeling peckish? Same. If you want to tuck into some candy from The Honeydukes Express (the Hogwart Express trolly) here’s what you’ll have to dig into your purse for: 11.24 Sickles - £3.26.

Dobby's monthly salary

The job market is rough out there. It’s even rougher if you’re a 3ft house-elf. Here’s what Dobby put away each month before he was a Free Elf: 4 Galleons - £19.72.

A bottle of Butterbeer

There’s a lot we have to be jealous of when it comes to the Wizarding world. Sure, they’ve got magic and funky cloaks but they’ve also got alcohol that tastes like butterscotch and costs less than a pound. One bottle of Butterbeer would cost: 2 Sickles - 58p. The injustice of it all.

A Newspaper

Last but not least on our magical tour is a newspaper. You know, one of those spooky ones where the pictures move. Well, that takes the prize as the cheapest item on our list: 1 Knut - 1p.

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And there we have it, you’re now well-versed in Harry Potter currency conversion. If you’re looking to convert and send money at the mid-market exchange rate, then check out Wise for more information. Galleons are not yet available but watch this space.

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Sources used for this article:

1. Wizarding currency, Harry Potter Wiki

2. How much would it cost to attend Hogwarts in real life?

Sources checked on 26-April-2024.