Finding the true break-even price for BTC
After buying Bitcoin (BTC), the price has to cover both the buy and the sell fee before you are actually even. Enter your entry price, investment and fee rate to get the exact break-even level.
The entry price is pre-filled with the 78,400 USDT reference price and the fee defaults to 0.1%, a common spot tier.
BTC break-even formulas
investment × (1 − fee rate) ÷ buy priceinvestment ÷ [coins held × (1 − fee rate)]buy price ÷ (1 − fee rate)²break-even price ÷ buy price − 1Worked BTC break-even example
Buying at 78,400 USDT with 0.1% on each side, BTC must reach about 78,557.04 USDT — roughly +0.20% — before you are back to cost. Larger positions lose more in absolute terms to the same fee rate.
Break-even example table
| Break-even price | Fee rate (each side) | Required gain |
|---|---|---|
| 78,557.04 | 0.1% | +0.20% |
| 78,714.54 | 0.2% | +0.40% |
| 79,189.92 | 0.5% | +1.01% |
Buying at the 78,400 USDT reference price: break-even = buy price ÷ (1 − fee)², with the fee charged on both sides.
Why the BTC fee is applied twice
The buy fee reduces the BTC you actually receive and the sell fee reduces the cash you get back, so the fee rate enters the break-even price squared rather than as a simple addition.
FAQ
How far must BTC rise to break even after I buy?
With 0.1% charged on both sides, about +0.20%. Buying at 78,400 USDT means BTC must reach roughly 78,557.04 USDT to avoid a loss; higher fees or more frequent trading raise that bar.
How is the BTC break-even price derived?
Break-even price = buy price ÷ (1 − fee rate)², which is the price at which net sale proceeds exactly equal what you invested, accounting for the reduced BTC quantity on the buy and the fee on the sell.