A currency converter for sums of money in Game of Thrones
What is the equivalence of a sum money in Westeros at the time of Game of Thrones in today's money? Fill in the currency unit and a sum of money, and click on return.
Examples
- The prize money at the Hand's tourney was the extravagant sum of 100,000 gold dragons. 100,000 gold dragons was the equivalent of 28,000,000 days' pay for work of a man living well. In the USA 2019, the estimated average wage for a college graduate for 28,000,000 days of work was 7,985,800,000 American dollars. 40,000 gold dragons, the first prize, was the equivalent of the annual production of 60,000 inhabitants in Westeros. - At the beginning of Games of Thrones the total debt of the Iron Throne is 6 million gold dragons. 6 million gold dragons was the equivalent of 479 billion American dollars. Assuming a GDP of Westeros of 27 million gold dragons would entail a state debt of around 20 percent. Such levels were not uncommon in pre-industrial Europe. For example, the state debt in Sweden reached over 40 percent of GDP at the end of the Great Northern War. However, later the debt increases to 10s of millions of gold dragons, entailing a level over 100 percent of GDP if there was no debasement of the currency. - At Joffrey's wedding feast, Tyrion tells Podrick Payne to pay each of the humiliated dwarves 20 gold dragons. 20 gold dragons was the equivalent of 5600 days' pay for work of a man living well. In the USA 2019, the estimated average wage for a college graduade for 5600 days of work was 1,597,160 American dollars.How much could 10 french franc in 1898 buy in today's rupees? What was the worth of 1 billion German mark in 1923 or 1000 Polish zloty in 1980? Was an annual wage of 25 pounds per year in 1780 much compared to the wage rates at the time? To answer these questions click on the Historical currency converter.
By Rodney Edvinsson,(professor in economic history, Stockholm university)
Updated 190409