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Trading Cost Calculator

Work out what a forex trade really costs: spread plus commission, per trade, in pips and per month — and compare brokers side by side.

Inputs

Presets fill typical published figures. Your live spread may differ.
$
$
$10 for USD-quoted pairs such as EUR/USD.

Your Results

Cost per trade–
Spread cost
–
Commission
–
All-in cost in pips
–
Monthly trading cost
–

All-in pips = spread + commission ÷ pip value per lot. Swaps and slippage are not included.

Partner: compare live spreads on the ClarityFX demo — read the risks first.

How trading costs add up

Cost per trade = (spread in pips × pip value × lots) + (commission per lot × lots)

Brokers charge in one of two ways. A standard account builds the cost into a wider spread with no commission. A raw or ECN account offers a tighter spread plus a commission per lot. Converting both to all-in pips lets you compare them directly.

AccountSpreadCommission (round turn)All-in (1 lot EUR/USD)
Raw example0.06 pips$7.000.76 pips = $7.60
Standard example1.0 pip$01.0 pip = $10.00

Example figures based on Eightcap’s published averages reported by ForexBrokers.com (October 2026). At 40 one-lot trades a month, the difference between the two is about $96 a month.

What the calculator leaves out

  • Swaps — overnight financing on positions held past rollover.
  • Slippage — fills worse than the quoted price, common around news.
  • Spread widening — spreads are usually widest at the daily rollover and in thin markets.

Once you know the cost, check how much it eats into your edge with the expectancy calculator, and size each trade with the position size calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Is a raw spread account cheaper than a standard account?
Often, for active traders. Add the commission to the raw spread and compare the total in pips with the standard spread. If the raw total is lower, it is cheaper for that instrument.
Is commission charged per side or round turn?
It varies by broker. Many quote per side ($3.50) and charge it on both opening and closing ($7 round turn). Enter the round-turn figure in the calculator.
Why do my real costs differ from the calculator?
Spreads change through the day, and swaps and slippage are not included. Use the spread you actually see at the times you trade.

Calculators are provided for educational purposes. Verify spreads, commissions and pip values with your broker. Risk warning: Trading forex, futures, CFDs, stocks and other leveraged products involves a high risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Nothing on this site is investment advice.

Losses and gains are not symmetrical

Gain required = Drawdown ÷ (1 − Drawdown)

A 10% loss needs an 11.1% gain to recover. A 50% loss needs a 100% gain. The deeper the drawdown, the steeper the climb.

DrawdownGain to recover
5%5.3%
10%11.1%
20%25.0%
30%42.9%
50%100.0%

This is the strongest argument for small, fixed risk per trade: it keeps drawdowns in the range where recovery is realistic. See how to manage risk like a professional.

Frequently asked questions

What is maximum drawdown?
Maximum drawdown is the largest peak-to-trough decline in account equity over a period. Prop firms use it as a hard limit on funded accounts.

Calculators are provided for educational purposes. Risk warning: Trading leveraged products involves a high risk of loss. Nothing on this site is investment advice.