How is a break-even price calculated?

Total cost = quantity × buy price × (1 + entry fee) + extra costs. The break-even sale price is total cost ÷ (quantity × (1 − exit fee)), so that proceeds after the sell fee exactly match what you paid.

Why is break-even above my purchase price?

Because fees are charged on both sides. Even a flat market leaves you down by the combined entry and exit fees, so the price has to rise a little just to recover those costs.

What counts as extra costs?

Anything beyond trading fees: network or withdrawal fees, spread, or financing costs. Adding them raises the break-even price so the figure reflects your true all-in cost basis.

Does this work for a losing position?

Yes. Compare the break-even price to the current price to see how far the market must recover before you are whole. If break-even is far above the market, that informs whether to hold or cut the position.

Are maker and taker fees different?

Often yes. Limit orders that add liquidity pay the lower maker fee; market orders that remove liquidity pay the higher taker fee. Enter the rate that matches how you expect to enter and exit.

Crypto Break-Even Price Calculator

The Crypto Break-Even Price Calculator finds the exact price you must sell at to recover your cost basis once entry and exit trading fees are included. It is the honest answer to “what price do I need just to get my money back?”.

How it works

Your real cost is more than the purchase price, because the exchange charges a fee on the way in and again on the way out. First compute total cost:

Total cost = quantity × buy price × (1 + entry fee) + extra costs

The sale must produce proceeds, net of the exit fee, equal to that cost. Since selling quantity units at price P nets quantity × P × (1 − exit fee), the break-even price is:

Break-even price = total cost ÷ (quantity × (1 − exit fee))

Because fees apply on both sides, the break-even price is always above the purchase price even in a perfectly flat market.

Why fees push break-even up

A 0.1% fee on entry and 0.1% on exit means you start roughly 0.2% in the hole. Higher taker fees, withdrawal costs, or spread widen that gap. This is why high-frequency scalpers obsess over fee tiers: every basis point of fee is a basis point the price has to move before a trade is profitable.

Example and notes

Buying 2 units at $1,000 with a 0.1% entry fee costs 2 × 1000 × 1.001 = $2,002. To break even after a 0.1% exit fee you need 2002 ÷ (2 × 0.999) = $1,002.00 per unit — about 0.2% above your entry. Compare that to the live price to decide whether a recovering position is worth holding.