Price Per Share Calculator — Average Cost Basis
Enter the total purchase cost, number of shares and any brokerage fees to find your true cost per share — the break-even price you need the stock to exceed before you profit.
(Purchase cost + fees) ÷ number of shares
1,509.99
Total paidShare cost
99.3%
Fees
0.7%
- 1
Total paid (cost + fees)
1,500 + 9.99 = 1,509.99 - 2
Cost per share
1,509.99 ÷ 10 = 150.9990Including the fee, each share costs slightly more than the quoted market price.
How does this calculator work?
Cost per share = (total purchase cost + brokerage fees) ÷ number of shares. Buying 10 shares at $150 with a $9.99 commission costs $150.999 per share — your real break-even point. Always include fees to know your true cost basis before calculating profit.
Formula
How this is calculated
When you buy shares of a stock or ETF, your real cost per share is not simply the quoted market price. Brokerage commissions, platform fees, or foreign-exchange charges add to the total amount you pay, raising your effective cost per share above the market price. Including these fees in the per-share calculation gives your true cost basis — the price the share must exceed for the position to be profitable after all costs.
For example, buying 10 shares at $150 each costs $1,500. If your broker charges a $9.99 commission, your total outlay is $1,509.99, and your actual cost per share is $150.999 — not $150. The share must rise above $150.999 before the trade becomes profitable.
This calculation becomes especially important when building a position across multiple purchases (dollar-cost averaging). For multiple transactions, calculate this separately for each purchase then compute the weighted average across all purchases. The fee drag also illustrates why commission-free brokers have grown in popularity: on small share counts, a fixed fee can significantly raise the effective cost per share.
Frequently asked questions
Cost basis is the total amount you paid to acquire an investment, including fees. It determines your profit or loss when you sell (proceeds minus cost basis) and is required for calculating capital gains tax in most jurisdictions.
Calculate the total amount spent across all purchases (sum of all purchase costs plus all fees), then divide by the total number of shares held. This gives the weighted-average cost per share across your entire position.
Yes, you can enter any decimal number of shares, including fractional amounts offered by some brokers. Enter the exact fractional share count to get the accurate per-share cost.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Price Per Share Calculator — Average Cost Basis [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/price-per-share-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Price Per Share Calculator — Average Cost Basis." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/price-per-share-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Price Per Share Calculator — Average Cost Basis," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/price-per-share-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_price_per_share_calculator, title = {Price Per Share Calculator — Average Cost Basis}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/price-per-share-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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