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Forex Spread Cost Calculator
Turn a spread in pips — or a raw ask and bid — into the money it costs you to open a position, plus any commission.
Cost inputs
Cost to trade
See what a real trade would cost you
Before you place this, compare brokers on the one number that matters — the all-in cost of spread and commission — using our open, for-sale-proof methodology.
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Educational tools for non-US traders · not directed at US persons.
Spread cost = spread in pips × pip value per lot × lots. A 1.5-pip spread on one standard lot of EUR/USD costs 1.5 × $10 = $15. Commission is listed separately, not folded into the spread: a $7 round-turn per lot adds $7, for $22 total on one lot.
How it works
What spread cost is
The spread is the gap between the ask (buy) and bid (sell) price. You cross it the moment you open a trade, so it is a cost you pay up front on every position whether or not the trade works. Commission, where a broker charges it, is a separate explicit fee. This tool shows both and keeps them apart.
The formula
spread in pips = (ask − bid) ÷ pip size (or enter the spread directly)
spread cost = spread in pips × pip value per lot × lots
commission = round-turn per lot × lots, and total = spread cost + commission. The pip value per lot inherits every quirk from the Pip Value Calculator — yen pairs, gold, indices and cross conversion all apply.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the pair, your account currency and the trade size in lots.
- Enter the spread in pips, or switch to ask/bid and enter both prices.
- Add a commission per round turn per lot if your broker charges one.
- If your account currency differs from the quote currency, fill in the conversion field.
Worked example 1 — EUR/USD, spread only
With an ask of 1.09015 and a bid of 1.09000 the spread is 1.5 pips. On one standard lot the pip value is $10, so the spread cost is 1.5 × 10 = $15. No commission means the total is $15.
Worked example 2 — USD/JPY with the yen pip
A 3.0-pip spread on one lot of USD/JPY: the pip value is 0.01 × 100,000 = 1,000 JPY, which on a USD account at a price of 150 is about $6.67 per pip. The spread cost is 3.0 × 6.67 = about $20. The yen pip size of 0.01 is essential here.
When spread cost matters
It matters most for short-term and high-frequency styles, where the spread can dwarf the move you are aiming for. Comparing two brokers, a tighter spread plus commission can still beat a wider zero-commission spread — convert both to total cost to see which is cheaper.
Common mistakes
- Adding commission into the spread. They are different costs with different mechanics; keep them on separate lines and sum at the end.
- Multiplying pipettes by ten. When you enter ask and bid, the calculator already normalises to whole pips — do not also multiply a fractional-pip spread by ten.
- Using $10 per pip on every pair. Yen pairs, cross pairs and gold have different pip values; the tool computes the right one when you enter the pair and account currency.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the cost of the spread in forex?
spread pips × pip value × lots. A 1.5-pip spread on one standard lot of EUR/USD costs $15.How do I turn ask and bid into a spread in pips?
(ask − bid) ÷ pip size. For EUR/USD, 1.09015 minus 1.09000 over 0.0001 is 1.5 pips.