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DCA (Dollar-Cost Average) Calculator

The DCA calculator takes each fixed contribution and the price it bought at, then returns the units you accumulated and your blended dollar-cost-average cost across the whole plan. Runs in your browser; nothing is stored.

Dollar-cost averaging spreads buys across time and sets your average cost = total amount invested / total units bought, so equal-dollar contributions automatically buy more units when the price is low and fewer when it is high.

Your buys

Current price (optional, for value & P&L)

units = Σ(amount / price) · avg_cost = Σamount / Σunits

Your blended position

Total invested—

Total units acquired—

Average cost / unit—

A fixed-dollar schedule buys more units when price is low and fewer when high, so your average sits below the simple price average.

How it works

What this calculator does

Dollar-cost averaging means investing a fixed dollar amount at regular intervals regardless of price. This tool takes each contribution and the price it bought at, then returns the total units accumulated and your average cost per unit across the whole plan.

The formula

It uses a dollars-in model — you enter money spent, not share counts:

units = Σ (amount / price)

average cost = Σ amount / Σ units

Because a fixed amount buys more units when prices are low, the average naturally tilts below the simple mean of the prices.

Worked example

You invest $300 three times: at $30, $20 and $15. Units bought are 10 + 15 + 20 = 45 for $900 total, so your average cost is 900 / 45 = $20.00 — lower than the $21.67 simple average of the three prices, because more units were bought cheaply.

What it deliberately does not do

It does not forecast returns or claim DCA beats a lump sum; that depends on the path of prices. The order in which the prices occur doesn't change the average — only the amounts invested and the prices paid do. It uses the figures you enter, not live quotes, and it is for education, not investment advice.

Frequently asked questions

How does dollar-cost averaging work?

You invest the same dollar amount on a fixed schedule, so you automatically buy more units when prices fall and fewer when they rise. Over time this produces a blended average cost.

How do I calculate my average cost with DCA?

Divide total money invested by total units bought: Σ amount / Σ units, where each contribution buys amount / price units. This tool sums it across all your buys.

What's the difference between DCA and averaging down?

DCA is dollars-in on a schedule, in any market direction. Averaging down is usually units-in, added specifically after a price drop. Use the average-down calculator for the units-in version.

Is DCA better than investing a lump sum?

It depends on how prices move afterward. Lump sums win more often in rising markets; DCA reduces the risk of buying everything right before a drop. This tool computes outcomes, it doesn't pick a strategy for you.

Why is my DCA average lower than the average price?

Because a fixed budget buys more units at low prices and fewer at high ones, which pulls the cost-weighted average below the simple mean of the prices.

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Use these three pages as a simple path: understand the rules, stress a scenario, then track consistency before a payout.

1Understand the ruleCompare challenge types, drawdown floors and payout logic.2Run a breach scenarioModel intraday vs end-of-day trailing drawdown before sizing a trade.3Track consistencyCheck whether one big day is blocking payout eligibility.

Information tool only. Every result is deterministic arithmetic (for the simulator, a probability estimate) from the numbers you enter. The calculators run in your browser with no account connection and nothing stored; the pairs scanner uses delayed, cached market data (daily figures, refreshed once a day), not a live feed. This is not investment, trading, tax, or financial advice — verify against your own broker or prop firm before acting.

Disclosure. Some outbound links may be affiliate or partner links; they never change how a tool computes.