ETH Transfer Gas Fee Right Now
How much does it cost to send ETH on Ethereum mainnet right now? The live card below shows today's exact USD cost across three priority tiers, calculated from real-time gas prices and the current ETH/USD rate.
Live ETH transfer cost
21,000 gas units · ETH ≈ $2,259
Standard
$0.007574
0.160 Gwei
Lowest tier that confirms in a few minutes.
Fast
$0.009367
0.197 Gwei
Default wallet tier — confirms in about a minute.
Rapid
$0.0212
0.446 Gwei
Top priority — confirms in under 30 seconds.
Base fee right now: 0.157 Gwei. Tier prices add the average priority tip seen in recent blocks. Wallets often pad estimates by 10–30%, so your actual quote may be a bit higher.
How an ETH transfer fee is calculated
A plain ETH transfer is the simplest transaction on Ethereum. It always uses exactly 21,000 gas units — the protocol-defined intrinsic gas. The total fee is:
fee (USD) = fee (ETH) × current ETH/USD price
The card above runs that exact math live. The Standard tier is the cheapest price that still confirms within a few minutes. Fast and Rapid add a higher priority tip if you want faster inclusion.
When is it cheapest to send ETH?
ETH transfer fees swing 50–80% across a normal week. The cheapest stretches:
- • Late night UTC (02:00–06:00) on weekdays — US and EU sleeping
- • Most of Saturday and Sunday — DeFi and NFT volume drops
- • Right after a congestion spike resolves — base fee falls fast
- • Outside major NFT mint or token launch windows
See the live cheap gas times heatmap for the exact pattern this week, or the gas fee forecast for the next 24 hours.
How to reduce your ETH transfer fee
- Pick Standard, not Fast. Wallets default high. For a routine transfer, Standard saves 20–40% with only a couple extra minutes of wait.
- Wait for the low band. A few hours of patience often halves the fee. Use the heatmap above to spot the next dip.
- Move to a Layer 2. Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base transfers cost cents instead of dollars — same ETH, different chain.
- Set a gas alert. Pick a Gwei threshold and get an email when gas drops below it.
Full breakdown: 9 proven ways to reduce gas fees.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send ETH right now?
The live USD figures above show the exact cost right now across standard, fast, and rapid tiers. A basic ETH-to-ETH transfer uses 21,000 gas units — multiply that by the live Gwei price and the current ETH/USD rate to get the total.
Why does an ETH transfer cost more than a few cents some days?
When Ethereum's base fee climbs during congestion, every transaction — including a simple transfer — gets more expensive. A $1 transfer at midnight UTC can become $15 during a busy US trading day.
Is 21,000 gas always the right number for an ETH transfer?
Yes, for a plain ETH-to-EOA (wallet) transfer. 21,000 is the protocol-defined minimum (intrinsic gas) for any transaction. Sending to a contract address that runs code will use more.
Can I send ETH for free?
Not on Ethereum mainnet. Every transaction needs gas. To eliminate fees entirely, move to a Layer 2 like Arbitrum, Optimism, or Base — transfers there cost cents at most.
Standard, Fast, or Rapid — which tier should I pick?
For routine transfers, Standard is fine. Fast only matters if you need confirmation in under a minute. Rapid is overkill unless you are racing for a mint or arbitrage opportunity.
How is the USD cost calculated?
totalUsd = 21,000 × gasPriceGwei × 1e-9 × currentEthUsd. The card above runs that math live every minute using fresh gas prices and the current ETH/USD rate.
Does the gas fee depend on how much ETH I send?
No. A basic transfer always uses 21,000 gas regardless of whether you're sending 0.001 ETH or 100 ETH. The fee is for computation, not value.
Related ETH gas tools and guides
Send ETH at the right gas level.
Set a gas alert and we'll email you when fees drop into the cheap zone.