Frequently asked questions

What is the Global PPP-Based Price Calculator API Tool?

This tool calculates an adjusted product price by comparing Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) data between two countries. It ensures that a product priced at a given amount in one country is similarly affordable (adjusted for local economic conditions) in another country. The calculation also includes an option to add tax.

What does “PPP” mean?

PPP stands for Purchasing Power Parity. It is an economic theory and method used to compare the relative value of currencies and the cost of living between different countries. The tool uses PPP conversion factors to adjust prices so that similar demographic groups in different countries can afford the product equally.

How does the tool calculate the adjusted price?

The tool follows these steps:

• PPP Adjustment: It retrieves PPP conversion factors from the World Bank API for both the source and destination countries. The adjusted price is first calculated by: Adjusted Price = Source Price × (Destination PPP / Source PPP)

• Currency Conversion: The tool then fetches live exchange rate data from ExchangeRate-API to convert the PPP-adjusted price into the destination country’s currency.

• Tax Application (Optional): If tax is included, an optional tax rate is applied on top of the converted price.

What data sources does the tool use?

• PPP Data: Fetched from the World Bank API.

• Currency Information: Retrieved from the Rest Countries API.

• Live Exchange Rates: Obtained via the free tier of ExchangeRate-API.

How frequently is the data updated?

• Exchange Rates depend on the update frequency of the ExchangeRate-API (commonly updated about every 24 hours on the free tier).

• PPP and Currency Data are provided by the respective APIs maintained by reputed organizations (World Bank and Rest Countries) so that they reflect the most current data available from these sources.

What are the two modes of the tool?

• Interactive Mode: Presented in a web form where users choose the source and destination countries, enter the local product price, and optionally include tax. The results are displayed in a human‑readable formatted output, with the final adjusted price highlighted.

• API Mode: The tool accepts parameters via the URL query string (e.g., ?sourceCountry=USA&destinationCountry=IND&sourcePrice=10&includeTax=true&taxRate=18) and returns a JSON-formatted result. This makes it suitable for integration with external applications.

How do I use the API mode? Simply pass the required parameters in the URL. For example:

https://yourdomain.com/pricecalculator.html?sourceCountry=USA&destinationCountry=IND&sourcePrice=10&includeTax=true&taxRate=18

The tool will automatically calculate the adjusted price and display the result in JSON format.

How do I include tax calculations?

In interactive mode, check the “Include Tax Calculation?” box. You can then enter a custom tax rate (as a percentage). In API mode, add the query parameters includeTax=true and taxRate=yourTaxRate(e.g., taxRate=18).

Which countries and currencies are supported?

The tool dynamically pulls its list of countries (with corresponding currency codes) from the Rest Countries API. It supports virtually all countries that have available currency data.

Who maintains this tool and how can I get help?

This tool was built using publicly available APIs and open‑source web technologies. For further customization, bug reports, or suggestions, you can reach out via the repository or support channel provided with the tool’s source code. If you have additional technical questions, reviewing the API documentation for the World Bank, Rest Countries, and ExchangeRate‑API may also be helpful.

Can I customize or extend the tool?

Yes. Since the tool is built entirely using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you can modify the code to enhance the UI, adjust the styling, change the calculation logic, or include additional data sources. It is designed to be flexible and customizable.

Troubleshooting and Limitations

What if I receive an error like “PPP data unavailable for one or both countries”? This error means that the tool couldn’t retrieve a valid PPP value from the World Bank API for one or both of the selected countries. Possible steps:

• Ensure you are using a valid ISO 3166-1 alpha‑3 country code (for example, USA, IND, DEU, etc.).

• Try selecting a different country if the particular one lacks current PPP data.

• It might also be a temporary issue with the World Bank API.

What does “Currency data unavailable for one or both countries” mean? This error indicates that the tool was unable to retrieve the currency information for one or both countries from the Rest Countries API. Double-check that you are using the proper country code and that the country has a defined currency in the API’s data.

What if I encounter issues with the exchange rate data? If the tool is unable to fetch the live exchange rate—possibly due to API rate limits, connection issues, or problems with the ExchangeRate-API—you’ll see an error message stating “Exchange rate data unavailable.” In such cases, please try again later.

Is any user input stored or sent to a server? No. In the client‑side version, all calculations occur within your browser. No data is stored or logged on a server.