Crypto average cost
Average cost is the total amount you've spent buying crypto on Robinhood divided by the total number of coins you currently hold from purchases. When you sell, both your total cost and coin count are reduced proportionally, so the average cost per coin stays the same. A new purchase then moves the average toward the price you just paid.
Average Cost = Total Cost ÷ Total Coins
Every time you buy or sell, this number updates.
| Action | Coin | Total Cost | Avg Cost/Coin |
| Buy 2 BTC @ $50,000 | 2 | $100,000 | $50,000 |
| Buy 1 BTC @ $80,000 | 3 | $180,000 | $60,000 |
| Sell 1 BTC | 2 | $180,000 × (2/3) = $120,000 | $60,000 |
| Buy 1 BTC @ $90,000 | 3 | $120,000 + $90,000 = $210,000 | $70,000 |
Your average cost is a reference for your estimated unrealized gains and losses. It shouldn’t be used for tax purposes.
You might see N/A or a dash in place of a value:
Typically, cost basis is the amount that you paid when buying an asset or the value determined at the time of receipt or transaction. Received crypto will use a cost basis at fair market value calculated at the time of receipt or redemption for tax purposes.
Fair market value is the price at which an asset would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller.
Total return refers to how much your holdings have gained or lost since the day they were added to your portfolio. It’s calculated as the difference between the current value of your crypto holdings and their average cost.
Total return = Quantity held x (mid price - average cost)
Today’s return measures the return that your holdings produce over a 24-hour cycle between 12:01 AM-12 AM. The starting value is set using your quantity held and the mid price at 12:00 AM the evening before.
Today’s return = Quantity held at 12 AM x (mid price - opening price) + quantity purchased or rewarded today x (mid price - average cost of crypto purchased or rewarded today)
The average cost is used as a reference point for estimating unrealized gains, and isn’t intended for determining your realized gain or loss for tax reporting purposes. If the average cost calculation changes, you’ll see a tooltip explaining the change. You can also tap on the average cost on the crypto detail pages to see how the average cost is defined.
Your average cost may have changed because the calculation factors in sells. When you sell, the proportional cost of those sold coins is removed from your total, which can shift the average if earlier transactions were recorded differently under the previous method.
No. Don't use these average cost calculations to determine your realized gains or losses for tax reporting purposes because they may not match your tax forms, if applicable.