StackFi Tools
Gold Holding Cost Calculator
Compare the all-in cost of holding gold as physical bullion, a gold ETF, or on-chain gold (XAUT) over your time horizon. Free calculator — adjust storage, expense ratio, and spread assumptions.
Most gold buyers compare the buy price and stop there. But the format you choose — physical bullion, a gold ETF, or on-chain gold like XAUT — changes what holding that gold actually costs every year you own it. Storage and insurance, fund expense ratios, dealer spreads, and network fees all pull in different directions.
This calculator puts three simplified cost assumptions side by side. Enter an amount and holding period, replace every default with a current provider quote, and use the result as a sensitivity check rather than a recommendation.
Adjust cost assumptions
Illustrative model only. The on-chain input is a single user-supplied assumption and may omit funding conversion, provider fees, entry/exit spread, slippage, gas, withdrawal, custody/recovery services, taxes, and failed transactions.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Why might on-chain gold show the lowest modeled cost?
That result follows only from the values entered. The simplified on-chain input does not automatically include funding conversion, provider fees, spread on both entry and exit, slippage, gas, withdrawal, custody or recovery services, taxes, or failed transactions. Add those costs to your assumption before comparing routes.
Are the default fee assumptions accurate?
No. They are illustrative inputs, not current market facts. Real costs vary by provider, region, network, order size, quote, custody, and exit route. Replace them with current, like-for-like figures before using the comparison.
Does this include the gold price going up or down?
No. This tool isolates holding cost — the friction of owning gold in each format. Price movement affects all three formats roughly equally, so it is excluded to keep the comparison clean.
Can I embed this calculator on my own site?
Yes. Copy the embed snippet on this page and paste it into your site. It loads the calculator in an iframe with a small attribution link back to StackFi.
XAUT Hold-to-Earn · until Nov 19
Buying gold? Hold it as XAUT in TopNod and earn up to 20% APY
Bars and ETFs pay nothing while you hold them. XAUT kept in your TopNod wallet earns a daily reward on its lowest balance that day — up to 20% APY on up to $10,000 per address, paid in USDT after Nov 19. No lockup and nothing to stake: buy, hold, and it accrues. The 50,000 USDT pool is first come, first served.
- ✓Best case: about $112 on $10,000 this round
- ✓No lockup — sell any time
- ✓XAUT on Ethereum, $20 minimum
Up to 11.21 USDT by Nov 19
Hold gold on-chain
Buy XAUT in TopNod
TopNod is a self-custodial wallet for tokenized gold — no seed phrase to write down. Your password is what restores access if you lose the device, so it is the one thing you cannot afford to forget: lose both and no one can recover the wallet for you.
- ✓Self-custodial — you hold the keys
- ✓No seed phrase; your password is the recovery factor
- ✓Check terms and costs in-app before buying
Disclosure: StackFi's chief editor, Woody, works in the Web3 wallet space and is affiliated with TopNod. We earn no referral fees. Details
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