Finding the true break-even price for ETH
After buying Ethereum (ETH), 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 2,471 USDT reference price and the fee defaults to 0.1%, a common spot tier.
ETH 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 ETH break-even example
Buying at 2,471 USDT with 0.1% on each side, ETH must reach about 2,475.95 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2,475.95 | 0.1% | +0.20% |
| 2,480.91 | 0.2% | +0.40% |
| 2,495.9 | 0.5% | +1.01% |
Buying at the 2,471 USDT reference price: break-even = buy price ÷ (1 − fee)², with the fee charged on both sides.
Why the ETH fee is applied twice
The buy fee reduces the ETH 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 ETH rise to break even after I buy?
With 0.1% charged on both sides, about +0.20%. Buying at 2,471 USDT means ETH must reach roughly 2,475.95 USDT to avoid a loss; higher fees or more frequent trading raise that bar.
How is the ETH 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 ETH quantity on the buy and the fee on the sell.