US First Class Stamp Equivalent

I don't know that I've ever seen such a comprehensive list before, so I thought I'd post it. It shows the US equivalent of first class postage rates for dozens of countries around the world and, as expected, the US rate is a relative bargain compared to most other countries:

So much for complaining about postage rate then?

Not sure how up-to-date that list is. Currently Australia's standard letter rate is 60 cents; Canada's is 61 cents; New Zealand's is 60 cents, but will rise to 70 cents on 1st July 2012.

Thailand: $0.10
Royal Mail will go up to $0.96 on 30th April

Here's a recent article from the BBC on the topic: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17614367

They mention the importance of adjusting the face value currency conversion to consider purchasing abilities of each country. 0.98USD for postage in Switzerland might be more than twice what one pays in the US, but I remember watching a Swiss news show a few months back and they said a starting bus driver in Zurich earns around 70000 CHF (76000 USD) a year.. so go figure.