Sending cryptocurrency cost less than one cent on most major blockchain networks as of 19 October 2026, with a single prominent exception: a USDT transfer on Tron, the network many users rely on for stablecoins, cost about $2.24. That is roughly 4,200 times the price of the same USDT transfer on Solana and about 400 times the cost on Ethereum. A standard Bitcoin payment, by comparison, cost about $0.12.

The figures come from the Cryptsy Transfer Cost Index, which measures the price of one standard transfer across 10 major networks. Rather than relying on estimates or exchange price lists, the index uses live data drawn from each network's own public endpoints. This edition was measured on 19 October 2026 at 07:07 UTC.

For users moving stablecoins, the comparison shows that the token alone does not determine the transaction cost: the network selected and the receiving wallet's support for that network also matter. The figures below therefore describe network fees for a specific measurement time, not a universal cost for every transfer.

Key Findings

• USDT on Tron was the most expensive transfer measured, at about $2.24 for a wallet without staked energy, equivalent to 6.77 TRX.
• USDT on Solana cost about $0.0005, roughly 4,200 times cheaper than on Tron.
• Ethereum mainnet was inexpensive at the time of measurement: about $0.0024 to send ETH and $0.0054 to send USDT, with gas near 0.05 gwei.
• A Bitcoin payment cost about $0.12 at a fee rate of 1 satoshi per virtual byte.
• XRP and Litecoin were the cheapest networks, at about $0.000013 and $0.000085 per payment respectively.
• Layer 2 networks stayed below a fifth of a cent: USDC on Base cost about $0.0007 and USDT on Arbitrum One about $0.0022.

Full Results by Network

Each result reflects the network fee for one standard transfer at the moment of measurement, converted to US dollars using CoinGecko prices taken in the same run. Exchange withdrawal fees are not included.

Prices used in the conversion were: BTC $82,816, ETH $2,430.47, SOL $105.74, BNB $727.53, TRX $0.3314, XRP $1.31, LTC $60.01, and POL $0.0930.

Why USDT Transfers on Tron Cost More

Tron does not charge for transactions the way Ethereum does. Smart contract calls, including USDT transfers, consume energy, while simple data use consumes bandwidth. In this measurement run, a USDT transfer between two existing holders consumed 64,285 energy, and the network's energy price was 100 sun (0.0001 TRX) per unit. A wallet holding no energy of its own must burn TRX to cover the cost, which came to about 6.77 TRX including bandwidth.

That figure represents a ceiling rather than what every user pays. Wallets that stake TRX receive energy and can send USDT for little or nothing, and some services rent out energy. Sending USDT to an address that has never held the token also consumes more energy than a transfer between existing holders.

Ethereum and Layer 2 Transfer Fees

Ethereum fees were low at the time of measurement. A plain ETH transfer uses a fixed 21,000 gas, and the network's base fee plus the median priority fee totaled about 0.05 gwei. A USDT transfer used 46,455 gas. Because fees on Ethereum rise sharply when demand spikes, these numbers reflect a calm-market reading.

Layer 2 networks were cheaper still. On Base, an OP Stack network, the fee includes a small charge for posting data to Ethereum, which the index reads from the network's own fee oracle; that charge added well under a millionth of a dollar. Arbitrum One builds the equivalent cost into its gas estimate.

Bitcoin, Litecoin and XRP Transaction Fees

Bitcoin and Litecoin price fees per virtual byte of transaction data. Both networks were quiet during the measurement, with a recommended rate of 1 satoshi per virtual byte. A typical 141-byte payment therefore cost 141 satoshis: about $0.12 on Bitcoin and $0.000085 on Litecoin. The XRP Ledger charged its base fee of 0.00001 XRP with no additional load.

Solana Transfer Fees

Solana charges a base fee of 5,000 lamports (0.000005 SOL) per signature, plus an optional priority fee. The median priority fee was zero at the time of measurement, so a SOL or USDT transfer cost 0.000005 SOL, about $0.0005. Sending USDT to wallet that does not yet have an account for that token adds a one-time rent deposit of about 0.002 SOL.

Network Fees Versus Exchange Withdrawal Fees

The figures above reflect what the blockchain itself charges. When withdrawing from an exchange, the exchange sets its own fee, often a flat amount per coin, which can be much higher than the underlying network fee. Fee schedules published by platforms such as Kraken, Gemini and Crypto.com differ from the network costs listed here.

The practical takeaway: before sending stablecoins, check which networks both the sender and the receiver support. Choosing Solana, Polygon, Base or BNB Smart Chain over Tron or Ethereum mainnet can cut the network cost to a fraction of a cent, provided the receiving wallet or exchange supports that network.

How the Measurements Were Taken

• Bitcoin and Litecoin: recommended fee rates from mempool.space and litecoinspace.org, multiplied by 141 virtual bytes, the typical size of a one-input, two-output native SegWit payment.
• Ethereum, Arbitrum One, Base, Polygon PoS and BNB Smart Chain: next-block base fee plus the median priority fee of the last 10 blocks from each network's public RPC. Native transfers use 21,000 gas; token transfers use the median gas estimate for real transfers between current holders found in the latest blocks.
• Base: the Ethereum data fee comes from the network's GasPriceOracle contract.
• Solana: protocol base fee plus the median recent priority fee.
• Tron: energy used by a real USDT transfer, estimated on TronGrid, multiplied by the chain's energy price, plus bandwidth.
• XRP Ledger: validated ledger base fee and load factor from a public rippled server.
• Prices: CoinGecko, taken in the same run.

Fees change by the minute, so every figure is a snapshot taken on 19 October 2026 at 07:07 UTC. The index is re-measured monthly using the same method.

Citing the Index

The figures may be cited and the chart republished with credit to Cryptsy and a link to the source page. Suggested citation: Cryptsy Transfer Cost Index, October 2026, cryptsy.com/crypto-transfer-fees/. Journalists who need the raw numbers for a story can reach the publisher through its contact page. The index is written by Ethan Blackburn.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest crypto to send?

In the 19 October 2026 measurement, an XRP payment was the cheapest transfer at about $0.000013, followed by Litecoin at about $0.000085. Among stablecoin transfers, USDT on Solana and on Polygon each cost well under a tenth of a cent.

How much does it cost to send USDT?

The cost depends on the network. On 19 October 2026, a USDT transfer cost about $0.0005 on Solana, $0.0006 on Polygon, $0.0013 on BNB Smart Chain, $0.0054 on Ethereum, and about $2.24 on Tron for a wallet without staked energy.

Why is sending USDT on Tron expensive?

Tron charges for smart contract calls in energy. A USDT transfer used 64,285 energy at 100 sun each, so a wallet with no staked TRX burns about 6.77 TRX per transfer. Wallets that stake TRX for energy, or rent it, pay far less.

How much does a Bitcoin transaction cost?

At the time of measurement, the network fee rate was 1 satoshi per virtual byte, so a typical 141-byte native SegWit payment cost 141 satoshis, about $0.12. Bitcoin fees rise quickly when the mempool is busy.

Are exchange withdrawal fees the same as network fees?

No. Exchanges set their own withdrawal fees, which are often flat amounts per coin and can be far higher than the network fees shown here. Users should check an exchange's fee page before withdrawing.

How often is the Transfer Cost Index updated?

The index is re-measured each month using the same method, and the date at the top of the page is updated. Fees can change minute to minute, so each figure should be treated as a snapshot.