Dollar-Cost Averaging Calculator
See your average purchase price and total return from buying a fixed dollar amount on a regular schedule, regardless of price swings.
Average cost per share
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Total shares bought —
Total invested —
Current value (at last price) —
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How it works
Average cost = total invested ÷ total shares purchased (shares per period = fixed $ ÷ that period's price)Frequently Asked Questions
How does dollar-cost averaging work?
Investing a fixed dollar amount on a schedule buys more shares when prices are low and fewer when prices are high, which naturally lowers your average cost per share compared to buying a fixed number of shares each time.
Does DCA guarantee better returns than lump sum?
No — in a steadily rising market, investing the full amount immediately (lump sum) usually outperforms DCA, since more money is invested earlier. DCA's advantage is smoothing out volatility and reducing the regret of bad timing, not maximizing average return.
How do I calculate my average cost with DCA?
Divide total dollars invested by total shares accumulated across all purchases — enter up to four purchase prices below and the calculator computes your blended average cost and current value.