Crypto Break-Even Price Calculator
Calculate the exact sell price needed to break even after buying crypto, accounting for trading fees on both sides.
How to use this tool
- Enter the price per coin you paid when buying.
- Enter the exchange trading fee percentage (applied per trade, both sides).
- Read the break-even sell price — you must sell above this to make a profit.
Fees apply on both the buy and sell sides, so your break-even price is always above your buy price. This calculator gives the exact minimum sell price to avoid a loss. Not financial advice.
⚠ This tool provides general estimates for education only and is not financial, tax or legal advice. Figures may not reflect your situation — verify with a qualified professional.
Formula
Break-even price = Buy price × (1 + fee%) ÷ (1 − fee%)
Total round-trip fee cost (%) = (Break-even price ÷ Buy price − 1) × 100
where fee% is the per-side fee expressed as a decimal.
How it works
This calculator finds the minimum sell price required to recover the full purchase cost plus both the buy-side and sell-side trading fees. The buy fee inflates the effective cost basis by (1 + f), while the sell fee reduces the net proceeds by (1 − f), requiring a price above the naive buy price to break even.
With zero fees the break-even price equals the buy price exactly. At typical exchange fees of 0.1% per side, the break-even price is roughly 0.2% above the buy price.
Worked example
Worked example: bought BTC at $50,000 with 0% fees
- Buy price = $50,000; fee = 0% per side.
- Break-even = $50,000 × (1 + 0) ÷ (1 − 0) = $50,000 × 1 ÷ 1 = $50,000.
- Total round-trip fee cost = ($50,000 ÷ $50,000 − 1) × 100 = 0%.
Break-even sell price: $50,000; total round-trip fee cost: 0%.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Adding the fee percentage once instead of applying it to both buy and sell sides -- a 0.1% fee on each side means you need the price to rise by more than 0.2% (approximately) to break even, not just 0.1%.
- Ignoring spread costs on illiquid tokens -- the difference between the bid and ask price on a low-liquidity token can dwarf the stated maker/taker fee, raising the true break-even significantly above the calculator's output.
- Applying a flat-fee calculation to tiered-fee exchanges -- many exchanges reduce fees at higher volume tiers; using the standard retail fee for a high-volume trade overstates the break-even price for active traders.
Key terms
- Break-even price
- The sell price at which total revenue exactly equals total cost (purchase price plus all fees), resulting in zero profit or loss.
- Round-trip fee
- The combined cost of both the buy-side and sell-side trading fees for a complete open-and-close trade.
- Maker fee
- A reduced fee charged when a limit order adds liquidity to the order book by resting at a price away from the market.
- Taker fee
- A fee charged when a market or limit order immediately matches an existing order, removing liquidity from the book.
- Spread
- The difference between the best bid and ask price on an exchange; a hidden cost that also affects the effective break-even price in practice.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is break-even higher than my buy price?
- Trading fees are charged when you buy AND when you sell. To cover both fees, you need to sell at a price slightly above what you paid.
- What if buy and sell fees differ?
- This calculator assumes the same fee on both sides. If they differ, use the buy fee for the buy leg and the sell fee for the sell leg: breakeven = buy_price * (1 + buy_fee) / (1 - sell_fee).