Exchange rates are the amount of one currency you can exchange for another. For example, the dollar's exchange rate tells you how much a dollar is worth in a foreign currency. For example, if you traveled to the United Kingdom on January 29, 2019, you would only receive 0.77 pounds for your one U.S. dollar. Exchange Rate Example. Let's say the current exchange rate between the dollar and the euro is 1.23 $/€. This means that to obtain one euro, you would need 1.23 dollars. Conversely, if you were about to take a vacation to Europe, you could take $1,000 to the bank and receive €813.01. An exchange rate is the value of one nation's currency versus the currency of another nation or economic zone. For example, how many U.S. dollars does it take to buy one euro ? As of Dec. 13, 2019,