Understanding your true investment cost in cryptocurrency trading is essential for making informed decisions. Platforms like OKX provide detailed insights through spot cost price metrics, helping traders evaluate performance and optimize strategies. This guide breaks down the two primary types of spot cost pricing on OKX—asset summary cost price and trading account cost price—and explains how they’re calculated using the average cost method and accumulated cost method.
Whether you're tracking long-term holdings or managing active trades, knowing the difference between these metrics can significantly impact your profit analysis and trading psychology.
What Is Spot Cost Price?
The spot cost price reflects the average price at which you acquired a cryptocurrency through spot trading. It serves as a baseline to calculate unrealized profits or losses based on current market prices.
On OKX, there are two distinct versions of spot cost price:
- Asset Summary Spot Cost Price
- Trading Account Spot Cost Price
While both aim to track your entry cost, they differ in scope and calculation methods.
1. Asset Summary Spot Cost Price
A Holistic View Across All Accounts
The asset summary spot cost price offers a comprehensive view of your investment cost across multiple account types:
- Trading Account
- Funding Account
- Earn Account
This metric uses the average cost method exclusively, meaning it calculates a weighted average of all your buy-ins across these accounts.
✅ Key Benefit: Transfers between accounts (e.g., moving funds from Earn to Trading) do not reset or alter your cost basis.
Example:
Suppose you hold 1 ETH in your Funding Account with a purchase cost of $3,000. When you transfer this ETH to your Trading Account, the system retains the original cost basis.
➡️ The asset summary still shows a cost price of $3,000 per ETH, ensuring continuity in performance tracking.
👉 Discover how to track your real-time cost basis across all wallets effortlessly.
2. Trading Account Spot Cost Price
Unlike the asset summary, the trading account spot cost price focuses solely on assets held within the Trading Account. However, it offers greater flexibility by supporting two calculation methods:
- Average Cost Method
- Accumulated Cost Method
You can switch between these modes directly in your account settings, allowing customization based on your trading style.
2.1 Comparison: Average vs. Accumulated Cost Methods
| Feature | Average Cost Method | Accumulated Cost Method |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Based only on purchase prices | Considers both buys and sells |
| Cost Basis Formula | Weighted average of buy prices | (Total buy value - Total sell value) / Net holdings |
| P&L Calculation | (Current price - Cost price) × Holdings | (Holdings × Current price) - (Total buys - Total sells) |
| Best For | Long-term investors, simple tracking | Active traders, rebalancing strategies |
Let’s explore real-world examples to see how each method affects your profit calculations.
2.2 Step-by-Step Calculation Examples
Case 1: Initial Purchase
You start with zero ETH.
- Day 1: Buy 2 ETH at $3,000 each
- Current market price: $3,500
Average Cost Method:
- Cost Price = (0 + 3000 × 2) / 2 = $3,000
- P&L = (3500 - 3000) × 2 = $1,000
- P&L Ratio = (3500 - 3000) / 3000 = 16.67%
Accumulated Cost Method:
- Cost Price = (3000 × 2 - 0) / 2 = $3,000
- P&L = (2 × 3500) - (6000 - 0) = $1,000
- P&L Ratio = 1000 / 6000 = 16.67%
➡️ Both methods yield identical results when only buying.
Case 2: Partial Sale
- Day 2: Sell 1 ETH at $3,500
- New market price: $4,000
Average Cost Method:
- Cost Price remains $3,000 (unchanged after sale)
- P&L = (4000 - 3000) × 1 = $1,000
- P&L Ratio = (4000 - 3000) / 3000 = 33.3%
Accumulated Cost Method:
- Cost Price = (6000 - 3500) / 1 = $2,500
- P&L = (1 × 4000) - (6000 - 3500) = $1,500
- P&L Ratio = 1500 / (6000 - 3500) = 60%
💡 Insight: The accumulated method adjusts your cost basis post-sale, often showing higher returns due to realized gains being factored in.
Case 3: Rebuying After Sale
- Day 3: Buy 1 more ETH at $4,000
- Market price rises to $4,500
Average Cost Method:
- New Cost Price = (3000 × 1 + 4000 × 1) / 2 = $3,500
- P&L = (4500 - 3500) × 2 = $2,000
- P&L Ratio = (4500 - 3500) / 3500 = 28.6%
Accumulated Cost Method:
- Cost Price = (6000 + 4000 - 3500) / 2 = $3,250
- P&L = (2 × 4500) - (10,000 - 3500) = $2,500
- P&L Ratio = 2500 / (10,000 - 3500) = 38.5%
👉 See how dynamic cost tracking adapts to your trading behavior in real time.
2.3 Important Notes
To ensure accurate calculations, keep the following in mind:
- 🔹 Data accuracy starts from November 6, 2020 onwards.
🔹 Included transaction types:
- Spot trades
- Fund transfers after stopping strategy bots (e.g., spot grid trading)
- Conversions via tools like Convert, Simple Trade, One-click Repay, and Easy Convert
🔹 Account transfers reset cost basis: Moving assets between accounts may clear historical cost data. However, you can manually edit and re-enter the correct cost via:
Trade > Positions & Assets > Cost Price- 🔹 Excluded assets: Stablecoins and local fiat currencies are not included in spot cost price calculations.
2.4 Open API Data Fields
For developers or advanced users integrating with OKX’s Open API, here are the relevant fields:
| Metric | Average Cost Field | Accumulated Cost Field |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Price | openAvgPx | accAvgPx |
| Unrealized P&L | spotUpl | totalPnl |
| P&L Ratio | spotUplRatio | totalPnlRatio |
| Net Holding Amount | spotBal | spotBal |
These fields enable automated portfolio tracking and analytics dashboards.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: What is the difference between average and accumulated cost methods?
The average cost method only considers purchase prices, making it ideal for passive investors. The accumulated cost method includes both buys and sells, better reflecting performance for active traders who rebalance frequently.
Q2: Why does my cost price change after selling?
If you're using the accumulated cost method, selling reduces your total buy value and adjusts your effective cost basis downward—especially if sold above cost. The average method keeps the original buy average unchanged.
Q3: Can I manually adjust my spot cost price?
Yes. After transferring assets or correcting data, go to Trade > Positions & Assets > Cost Price to manually input your desired cost.
Q4: Are stablecoins included in cost calculations?
No. Stablecoins and local currency deposits are excluded from spot cost price calculations due to their pegged nature and minimal volatility.
Q5: Does transferring between accounts affect my profit tracking?
Transfers reset the cost basis in the destination account. While this may seem disruptive, it allows you to set a new starting point or correct errors manually.
Q6: How far back does OKX track spot cost data?
OKX’s spot cost tracking is effective from November 6, 2024, onward. Transactions before this date are not factored into automated calculations.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right spot cost price method depends on your trading frequency and strategy. Passive holders benefit from the simplicity of the average cost method, while active traders gain deeper insights with the accumulated cost method.
By understanding how OKX computes these values across different accounts—and leveraging tools like manual edits and API integrations—you maintain full control over your performance metrics.
👉 Start optimizing your crypto portfolio tracking with advanced cost basis tools today.