Average Cost & Break-Even Calculator
Find your real cost basis after buying in pieces. Enter each lot's shares and price to get your blended average cost — the break-even price the whole position needs to reach.
Your lots
Add each buy (or average-down) lot. Blank rows are ignored. The average cost is your break-even — the price the combined position needs to reach to be flat.
Average cost / break-even
How it works
When you buy a stock in more than one lot — or average down after a drop — your break-even isn't your first price; it's the share-weighted average of every lot. Average cost = total dollars spent ÷ total shares. That blended number is the price at which the combined position is flat.
Averaging down lowers your break-even but also adds risk: you're committing more capital to a position that's already moving against you. It works when your thesis is intact and you've planned the adds in advance; it hurts when it's a reflex to a losing trade with no stop. Size the adds, and know the level that would prove you wrong.
StockSetups attaches a stop and target to every setup, so you can decide ahead of time whether a name is worth adding to — or whether the stop says it's time to step aside.
Frequently asked
How do you calculate average cost?
Average cost = total amount spent ÷ total shares owned. Multiply each lot's shares by its price, add those up, and divide by the total shares. The result is your blended cost basis and break-even price.
What is averaging down?
Buying more of a stock at a lower price than your initial entry, which lowers your average cost. It reduces your break-even but increases the capital and risk committed to a losing position — best done with a plan and a stop, not as a reflex.
Is my break-even the same as my average cost?
Yes — ignoring commissions and fees, your break-even price equals your average cost. Reach that price and the position is flat.
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