Crypto Breakeven Calculator – How to Find Your Exact Exit Price (Spot & Futures)
Crypto Breakeven Calculator (Spot & Futures): The Clear, Exact Way to Know When You’re Even
Use this guide to understand exactly how a crypto breakeven calculator works, what inputs matter (fees, funding, leverage, and more), and how to apply the formulas in seconds. If you also want to project profit, ROI and liquidation buffers, try our free crypto profit calculator after reading this tutorial.
What is a crypto breakeven calculator?
A crypto breakeven calculator tells you the exact exit price where your net P&L becomes zero after trading costs. In plain English: it’s the price you need to sell (or buy back, if short) so that you’re neither in profit nor in loss once fees, funding and other costs are included.
Why breakeven matters
- Precision under fees: Even “tiny” fees change the required exit price.
- Leverage awareness: Funding and borrow costs push your breakeven farther away.
- Risk control: Knowing breakeven helps you size positions and place take-profits sensibly.
- Reality check: If your plan needs an unrealistic move just to break even, you can skip the trade.
How the calculator works (inputs & outputs)
| Input | What it means |
|---|---|
| Entry Price (Pentry) | Your buy (spot/long) or sell (short) price. |
| Position Size (Q) | Quantity of asset (e.g., 0.5 BTC). |
| Open Fee % (fopen) | Maker/taker fee on order entry. |
| Close Fee % (fclose) | Maker/taker fee when you exit. |
| Fixed Costs (C) | Funding, borrow interest, or other costs in currency terms for the whole position. |
| Side | Spot/Long or Short (affects the formula direction). |
Output: The calculator returns your breakeven exit price—sell price for spot/longs, buy-back price for shorts.
The breakeven formulas (clean & reliable)
Let fees be percentages (decimals) of notional: fbuy and fsell for spot, or fopen and fclose for derivatives. Let C be total fixed costs in currency (e.g., funding paid), and Q the asset quantity.
Spot / Long positions
Net proceeds after selling must equal total cost:
Pexit = [ Pentry · (1 + fbuy) + C / Q ] ÷ (1 − fsell)
Futures/Perp Long (identical structure)
Pexit = [ Pentry · (1 + fopen) + C / Q ] ÷ (1 − fclose)
Futures/Perp Short
Pexit = [ Pentry · (1 − fopen) − C / Q ] ÷ (1 + fclose)
Notes: (1) If there are no fixed costs, set C=0. (2) Taxes on positive gains usually don’t affect the breakeven price because at breakeven pre-tax profit is ~0. (3) Leverage changes liquidation risk and often increases C (funding/borrow), but the formula shape stays the same.
Worked examples you can copy
Example A — Spot buy, equal fees both sides
- Inputs: Buy 1 BTC at 20,000, fbuy=fsell=0.10% (0.001), C=0.
- Breakeven: Pexit= 20,000·1.001 / 0.999 ≈ 20,040.04.
Example B — Futures long with funding paid
- Inputs: Long 0.5 BTC at 20,000, fopen=fclose=0.05% (0.0005), total funding C = $10.
- Breakeven: Pexit= [20,000·1.0005 + 10/0.5] / (1 − 0.0005) = [20,010 + 20] / 0.9995 ≈ 20,035.02.
Example C — Perp short
- Inputs: Short 2 ETH at 3,000, fopen=fclose=0.06% (0.0006), pay funding C=$6.
- Breakeven buy-back: Pexit= [3,000·(1 − 0.0006) − 6/2] ÷ (1 + 0.0006) = [2,998.2 − 3] / 1.0006 ≈ 2,994.58.
Fees, funding & hidden costs that move your breakeven
- Maker vs taker: Maker often cheaper. If you chase with market orders, your breakeven moves farther.
- Funding rates: Perp markets can credit or debit you. A positive funding received effectively reduces C.
- Borrow/interest: Margin/isolated positions may accrue interest—include it in C.
- Partial fills: Multiple fills can apply fees several times; conservatively assume full fees on both legs.
Pro tips (DCA, partial exits, and slippage)
- DCA entries: Compute a size-weighted average entry, then apply the same formula.
- Partial exits: Each partial close has its own breakeven math. Track average price and cumulative costs.
- Slippage buffer: Add a small slippage estimate into C to avoid under-shooting breakeven.
- Next step: For profit/ROI projections and scenario testing, use our Free Crypto Profit Calculator.
Open an account & optimize your fees
Lower fees and reliable liquidity bring your breakeven closer. Consider opening on multiple exchanges:
Start on BYBIT
Deep liquidity on majors, robust perp markets, and frequent fee promos.
Register with bonusFAQ: Crypto Breakeven Calculator
Does leverage change my breakeven price?
Not directly. The formula depends on fees and fixed costs (C), not margin size. Leverage can increase costs (funding/borrow) and liquidation risk, which indirectly pushes breakeven farther.
Should I include funding in breakeven?
Yes. Add the net funding paid (or subtract funding received) into C. If you expect future funding before exit, include a conservative estimate.
Do taxes affect breakeven?
Most tax regimes charge on positive gains; at breakeven, your profit is ~0, so taxes usually don’t move the price. For safety, model taxes when you expect to close in profit.
How do I handle multiple entries (DCA)?
Use a size-weighted average entry price, then plug that into the formula along with your total quantity and cumulative costs.
What if my exchange uses rebates for maker orders?
Treat rebates as negative fees. For example, fopen=−0.02%. This will shift your breakeven closer to the entry.
Related: Home • Free Crypto Profit Calculator
