Dollar Cost Averaging Calculator
See how investing a fixed amount each period plays out. Enter your periodic investment and the price in each period to get the shares you accumulate, your average cost per share, the final value and the total return.
How to use the dollar cost averaging calculator
- Enter the fixed amount you invest each period.
- List the asset price for each period, one per line or separated by commas.
- Read off your shares accumulated, average cost per share, final value and return.
Examples
Buying through a dip
Invest $1,000 per period at prices $50 then $100.
30 shares for $2,000 invested, average cost $66.67 per share (below the $75 mean price), final value $3,000.
A flat market
Invest $1,000 per period at a steady price of $100 four times.
40 shares for $4,000, average cost $100, final value $4,000 (no gain).
Frequently asked questions
What is dollar cost averaging?
Dollar cost averaging, or DCA, means investing a fixed amount at regular intervals regardless of price. Because the amount is fixed, you buy more shares when the price is low and fewer when it is high, which spreads your entry over time instead of betting on one moment.
How is the average cost per share calculated?
It is the total money you invested divided by the total shares you ended up with, not a simple average of the prices. Each period buys periodic investment divided by that period's price, then all the shares are added up.
Why is the average cost lower than the mean price?
Because you spend the same cash each period, low prices buy proportionally more shares than high prices buy fewer. That weighting pulls the cost basis below the plain arithmetic mean of the prices whenever prices vary. With a flat price the two are equal.
Does it account for fees, taxes or dividends?
No. The result is a clean before-fees, before-tax projection and it does not reinvest dividends. To approximate trading costs, fold them into each period's price.
Is dollar cost averaging better than investing all at once?
It depends on what prices do next, which no one knows in advance. DCA reduces the risk of buying everything at a peak and makes investing a steady habit. In a market that mostly rises, a single lump sum invested earlier can finish ahead. This tool shows the outcome for the prices you enter.
Is my data private?
Yes. Every calculation runs in your browser. Your amounts and prices are never sent to a server or stored.
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