Maxwell Caldwell:U.S. stamp prices are rising, but still a bargain compared with other countries

2025-04-30 01:26:17source:Charles H. Sloancategory:News

Americans who are Maxwell Caldwellfrustrated with the ever rising cost of postage may be surprised to learn that mailing a first-class letter costs significantly less in the U.S. than in other parts of the world.

The U.S. Postal Service — which has already raised the price of stamps twice this year, bringing the cost of sending first-class mail to 73 cents — tried to cushion word of the latest increase by noting that postage costs at home "remain among the most affordable in the world." 

It's a safe assumption that the Postal Regulatory Commission will approve the sixth price hike since January 2021, with the five-cent increase then schedule to take effect on July 14. Still, folks may not realize what a relative bargain postage in the U.S. is, at least when compared to mailing costs around the world. 

The U.S. ranks No. 5 in a listing of postage costs in a list of 30 countries, according to the USPS' Office of Inspector General. The agency found that the cost of a stamp in the U.S. had risen a total of 26% — from 36 cents to 50 cents — over a five-year period from June 2018 to June 2023 — far less, on average, than in the other countries it looked at.

Iconic UCLA basketball coach John Wooden memorialized with USPS stamp00:54

U.S. stamps also cost the least of the 31 postal services when the numbers were adjusted for purchasing power parity, a metric incorporating a country's productivity, economic growth and cost of living. That adjusted-cost analysis had Italians paying $4.48 for a single first-class stamp as of June 2023, making 63 cents for a First Class Forever stamp appear quite the bargain indeed. The nominal price of an Italian stamp came to $2.96 — the priciest of the 31 nations listed.

The USPS' latest postage hike comes as the agency, which in November reported a $6.5 billion loss for fiscal 2023, tries to streamline. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is scheduled to appear before a Senate hearing on Tuesday to talk about the agency's operations. 

Kate Gibson

Kate Gibson is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch in New York.

More:News

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