If you look at a price tag in Iran, read a news story about the rial, or talk to an Iranian about money, you will meet two words: rial and toman. They describe the same money, and mixing them up can make a price look ten times bigger or smaller than it is.
The rial is the official currency
The Iranian rial (code IRR) is Iran’s legal currency. Banknotes, bank statements and official exchange rates are written in rials.
The toman is how people count
In everyday life, Iranians count in toman. 1 toman = 10 rials. When a shopkeeper in Tehran says something costs 50,000, they almost always mean 50,000 toman, which is 500,000 rials.
So when the dollar trades at 2,701,500 rials, people say it is about 270,150 toman, or simply “270 thousand toman”.
A simple rule
- Rials to toman: remove one zero (divide by 10).
- Toman to rials: add one zero (multiply by 10).
What about the new rial and qiran?
Iran has passed a law to remove four zeros from the rial. Under it, 10,000 current rials will equal one new rial, divided into 100 qiran. Parliament approved the law on 5 October 2025 and the Guardian Council on 8 November 2025. The old and new units are expected to circulate side by side for a transition period. Read more in our guide to Iran’s four-zero redenomination.
Check today’s dollar to rial rate in rials and toman.