Arbitrum Gas Fee
Arbitrum One · L2Live Arbitrum gas
0.0201 Gwei
~21k gas execution
$0.000951
ETH ≈ $2,258.81
Execution onlyOptimistic rollup. Largest L2 by TVL. Gas fees typically 10–20x cheaper than Ethereum mainnet.
Arbitrum Nitro bundles the parent-chain calldata/poster fee into eth_gasPrice — real wallet quotes are usually close to this estimate, sometimes a touch higher during L1 congestion.
Arbitrum at a glance
- Block time
- ~0.25s sequencer · ~10 min L1 finality
- Withdrawal to L1
- ~7 days native · minutes via Across / Hop
- Chain ID
- 42161
- Gas model
- ETH · Nitro bundles L1 calldata into eth_gasPrice
History
Execution gas cost over time
21,000-gas transfer in USD, sampled every 90 s from the arbitrum RPC. Execution gas only — OP-stack chains add an L1 calldata fee on top in real wallet quotes.
How Arbitrum gas pricing works
Arbitrum is an optimistic rollup. It executes your transaction off-chain at L2 speed, then posts compressed transaction data to Ethereum mainnet for security. Your gas fee covers two things: L2 execution and the L1 calldata posting cost. Arbitrum Nitro bundles both into the single gas price your wallet shows, so you do not have to do separate math.
On a quiet mainnet day, a swap on Arbitrum can cost under $0.10 — versus several dollars on Ethereum mainnet for the same operation. On a busy mainnet day, the gap closes because L1 calldata gets more expensive.
How to reduce your Arbitrum gas fees
- Time the L1 base fee. Arbitrum gas tracks Ethereum mainnet base fee. Send during a calm mainnet window for the cheapest Arbitrum rates too.
- Batch related actions. Each transaction has a base cost. Combine approval + swap, or use multi-send tools where available.
- Skip mainnet congestion. When mainnet base fee spikes, Arbitrum fees climb too. Wait it out for routine activity.
- Use Arbitrum-native DEXs. Camelot, GMX, and other native venues are gas-tuned for Arbitrum specifically.
- Set a gas alert on mainnet. When L1 drops, L2 drops with it. Set a mainnet gas alert and bridge or transact when it fires.
When to use mainnet vs Arbitrum
Use Arbitrum when you do not need mainnet settlement immediately — routine swaps, DeFi positions, NFT trades on Arbitrum-native marketplaces, and active trading where mainnet fees would eat returns. Use mainnet when you need composability with mainnet-only contracts, are depositing to a CEX that does not support Arbitrum withdrawals, or moving large value where the bridge round-trip exceeds the fee savings.
Compare against Optimism gas, Base gas, and Polygon gas in our live L2 fees comparison.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Arbitrum gas fee right now?
The live Arbitrum gas price above is in Gwei, pulled directly from the Arbitrum One RPC. Most transfers cost a fraction of a cent because Arbitrum batches calldata and posts it to Ethereum less frequently.
Why is Arbitrum cheaper than Ethereum mainnet?
Arbitrum is an optimistic rollup. It executes transactions off-chain and posts compressed proofs to Ethereum. You pay for that compressed L1 data plus L2 execution, which together is typically 10–20x cheaper than mainnet.
How does Arbitrum gas pricing work?
Arbitrum Nitro folds the L1 data cost into a single gas price you see from eth_gasPrice. You do not have to track L1 calldata separately like on some other rollups.
Does Arbitrum use ETH or its own token for gas?
Arbitrum One uses ETH for gas. Bridge ETH from mainnet (or buy on a centralized exchange that supports Arbitrum withdrawals) before transacting.
When does Arbitrum get expensive?
Arbitrum gas spikes when Ethereum mainnet base fee spikes — the L1 calldata posting cost rises in lockstep. Big mainnet congestion events cascade onto every rollup, Arbitrum included.
Is Arbitrum cheaper than Optimism or Base?
Usually within the same order of magnitude, but the winner changes week to week. Check our L2 fees comparison for the live ranking.
How do I bridge from Ethereum to Arbitrum?
Use the official Arbitrum Bridge (bridge.arbitrum.io) or a third-party bridge like Across or Hop. Native withdrawals back to mainnet take ~7 days; third-party bridges are faster for a fee.
Related ETH gas tools and guides
Compare all L2s side by side.
See live gas prices for Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, and Polygon in one table — and pick the cheapest L2 for your transaction.