In January 2014, it costs 49 cents to send a letter weighing 1 ounce or less from California to Virginia via the United States Postal Service. Each extra ounce costs 21 cents. A 2-ounce letter, for instance, costs 70 cents to mail.
The United States Postal Service charges a flat cost for letters sent within the United States. A letter sent inside the same city costs the same as one sent across the country. The price of metered mail is 48 cents as opposed to 49 cents at retail. The cost to mail a postcard within the United States is 34 cents. One-ounce envelopes cost 98 cents to mail, and each additional ounce costs 21 cents.
