Dollar cost averaging calculator
What buying the same amount on a schedule produces
Enter a contribution, a frequency, a number of periods and a return to see shares accumulated, average cost and ending value.
- Shares accumulated
- 56.84
- Average cost
- $105.56
- Average price paid
- $105.69
- Ending value
- $6,341.25
What the inputs mean
- Contribution
- Amount invested each period.
- Periods
- Number of contributions.
- Starting price
- Price at the first purchase.
- Return per period
- Price change between purchases.
Formula
Worked example
$500 a month for 12 months, $100 start, 1% per month → 56.6 shares at an average cost of $105.94.
Questions people ask
Why is average cost below the average price?
A fixed dollar amount buys more shares when the price is low, which pulls the cost basis under the simple average of the prices paid.
Limitations
Every result here is arithmetic on the numbers you enter. It carries no view on any specific security, assumes returns are steady when real returns are not, and ignores taxes, slippage and commissions. Use it to size and sanity-check, not to forecast.
Now run it on a real ticker
Score any name free, then bring the number back here.
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Understand the inputs
Autonium publishes research, not recommendations. Scores, factors and written reads describe historical and current data and are not buy or sell advice. Not financial advice. Market data is refreshed on a schedule and may lag. See our methodology and disclosures.