Finance

Average Cost / DCA Calculator

Calculate your current average purchase price for a stock or crypto across multiple buys, project how it changes with a new purchase — or reverse it: find how many units you'd need to buy at a given price to hit a target average.

Quantity — Purchase 1

Price per unit — Purchase 1

Quantity — Purchase 2 (optional)

Price per unit — Purchase 2

Quantity — Purchase 3 (optional)

Price per unit — Purchase 3

Quantity of a planned new purchase (optional) Leave blank if you just want your current average, or if you'll use 'target average' below instead.

New purchase price (or the price to hit your target)

Target average price you want to reach (optional) If you fill this together with 'new purchase price' above, the calculator works out exactly how many units you'd need to buy to reach this average.

Current market price (optional) To see your current unrealized profit or loss.

Enter your details and press "Calculate" to see your result here.

About this calculator

What the result means

Your average purchase price is the total amount you paid divided by the total units you own, regardless of how many separate trades made it up. When you buy additional units below your current average, the average automatically drops (called 'averaging down') — and the reverse happens if you buy above it (the average rises, sometimes called 'averaging up'). Every new purchase pulls the average toward its own price, with a pull strength proportional to its size relative to what you already hold.

Recommendation

Averaging down doesn't reduce your risk — it increases your capital exposed to the same asset, hoping the price recovers later, and it can double your loss if the decline continues. Don't buy more just because the price dropped; base it on your original assessment of the opportunity — if the reasons you bought in the first place have changed, averaging down isn't the automatic answer. Decide in advance the maximum capital you're willing to expose to this asset before any additional purchase.

Frequently asked questions

Is averaging down always a good strategy?

No. Averaging down is only useful if you still believe in the investment's long-term quality and the price drop is temporary or not fundamental. If the price dropped due to a genuine change in the company's or project's fundamentals, buying more may be 'trying to rescue a loss' rather than a sound investment decision — evaluate the reason before the quantity.

Why couldn't the calculator reach the target average I asked for?

Your new average can never exceed the new purchase price itself (if buying higher) or drop below it (if buying lower), no matter the quantity. If you requested a target average outside that range (e.g., higher than any purchase price available to you), it's mathematically unreachable no matter how much you buy.

Does this calculator include commissions and platform fees?

No, it only calculates the net unit price as you enter it. If your platform charges a commission per trade, add it manually to the unit price (divide the total amount paid including commission by the number of units) for a more accurate figure.

Sources

Dollar-Cost Averaging (Average Cost Method) — Investopedia