Read the rate from the kiosk’s point of view
“Buy” and “sell” usually describe what the exchange counter does, not what you do. If you hand over dollars and want local currency, the kiosk is selling you that currency. If you return with leftover local cash, it is buying it from you.
Those two rates differ because the kiosk earns money on the gap, called the spread. So a large, eye-catching number may apply only when the kiosk sells a currency—not when it buys yours back. The direction matters just as much as the number.
The posted rate is not always your final rate
A commission or service charge can reduce what you receive even when the exchange rate looks attractive. A fixed fee has a bigger effect on a small exchange than on a large one; a percentage charge takes a share of the transaction regardless of its size.
To compare offers, ask how much local currency you will receive for a specific amount of your own money after all fees. That turns an ambiguous board into a concrete number you can compare with another counter or a card transaction. The useful question is not simply “What’s the rate?” but “What will I walk away with?”
