Crypto Break-Even Price Calculator
The price the asset must reach before you get your money back.
- How do you calculate the break-even price of a crypto position?
- Divide your total cost including the buy fee by your quantity, then gross that up for the sell fee, because the fee reduces what you receive from the sale.
Enter your numbers and press Calculate to see your results.
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The Price You Need to Get Back to Even
Break-even is the sell price at which the money you get back, after the fee on the sale, exactly equals everything you paid, including the fee on the purchase. It sits slightly above your average buy price, and the gap between the two is the cost of trading the position in and out.
Fees matter more here than people expect. Both the buy fee and the sell fee push the break-even price up, and because they are charged on the full trade value, they scale with the size of the position rather than the size of your profit.
Worked example
Buy 0.5 units at $30,000 with a 0.1% buy fee: your cost basis is $15,000 and the fee is $15, for a total cost of $15,015.
With a 0.1% sell fee you keep 99.9% of the sale proceeds, so the break-even price is $15,015 ÷ (0.5 × 0.999) = $30,060.06. The asset needs a 0.2% move from your buy price just to recover the two fees.
Fees are a hurdle, not a footnote
On a position held for a short time, the round-trip fee can be a large share of the move you need. The sensitivity panel shows how break-even shifts as the sell fee changes.
Higher fee tiers, or trading in and out repeatedly, raise the price the asset must reach and make it harder to end up ahead.
Assumptions behind the figure
The calculation assumes the entire position is sold in a single trade at one price, with no withdrawal or network fee, and that the quantity has not changed since you bought it.
If you plan to sell in pieces at different prices, the blended result will differ from this single-price break-even.
Example
Here is what Crypto Break-Even Price Calculator returns with its default inputs. Change any value above to see your own numbers.
Inputs
- Average buy price
- $30,000.00
- Quantity held
- 0.5
- Buy fee
- 0.1%
- Sell fee
- 0.1%
Result
- Price you need to break even
- $30,060.06
- Move from your buy price
- 0.2%
- Total cost including buy fee
- $15,015.00
- Fees paid by the time you break even
- $30.03
What affects your crypto break-even price result?
- Your average buy price. A higher average cost means the price has to travel further before the position breaks even.
- Fees on both trades. The buy fee raises your cost and the sell fee reduces your proceeds, so both push the break-even price above your entry.
- Withdrawal and network fees. If you move the asset off the exchange, those flat costs are extra and are not in this figure.
- Selling in more than one trade. Break-even assumes a single exit at one price. Selling in pieces across different prices gives a different blended result.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my break-even above my buy price?
Does break-even include withdrawal fees?
Does reaching break-even mean I should sell?
Calculation methodology
Break-even price = (buy price × quantity × (1 + buy fee %)) ÷ (quantity × (1 − sell fee %)).
Assumptions
- Break-even is the sell price at which your proceeds, after the sell fee, exactly equal what you paid including the buy fee.
- The whole position is assumed to be sold in one trade at that single price.
- Withdrawal/network fees and taxes are excluded, so your true break-even is usually a little higher.
- Break-even describes recovering your cost. It says nothing about whether, or when, a price will get there.
What should you calculate next?
Crypto Break-Even Price Calculator answers one part of the picture. These pick up where it leaves off.
Updated: · Built and maintained by MoneyPilots’ co-founders, Mohammed Salman and Ahmad Shara'a. Every formula is deterministic and covered by automated tests.
See our methodology and editorial policy.
This calculator provides estimates for educational purposes only and is not personalized financial advice. Rates, taxes, and financial products change — verify with providers and qualified professionals.