REAL COST CALCULATOR

ETF Total Cost Calculator

See what your ETF really costs — beyond the OCF label

How the calculation works

We layer four cost components: the fund's annual OCF, withholding tax drag on dividends, bid-ask spread amortised over your holding period, and the broker's annual platform fee.

Each component is compounded over your investment horizon so you see the true € impact, not just percentages. Switch to advanced mode to override any pre-filled value.

Who this tool is for

Investors in the EU, CIS, and diaspora who want to compare the all-in cost of popular UCITS ETFs across brokers before opening an account — without relying on the OCF label alone.

What's next?

Compare broker fees See the real cost of investing

How is real ETF cost calculated?

What is withholding tax drag?

When an ETF holds US stocks, the US government withholds tax on dividends before passing them to the fund. Irish-domiciled ETFs (like VWCE, IWDA) benefit from a reduced 15% treaty rate, compared to 30% for Luxembourg-domiciled funds. This difference compounds significantly over time.

Ireland vs Luxembourg ETF domicile — which is cheaper?

For ETFs holding US stocks, Ireland is almost always cheaper due to the US-Ireland tax treaty (15% vs 30% WHT). The exception is synthetic swap-based ETFs (like XDWD) which avoid dividends entirely and have zero WHT drag regardless of domicile.

What is the difference between OCF and TER?

OCF (Ongoing Charge Figure) and TER (Total Expense Ratio) are nearly identical — both capture the annual management cost. OCF is the EU regulatory standard. Neither includes withholding tax drag, bid-ask spread, or your broker's platform fee.

Which broker is cheapest for ETFs in Europe?

It depends on portfolio size and trading frequency. For portfolios above €50,000 or infrequent rebalancing, Interactive Brokers is typically cheapest. For smaller regular DCA investors, XTB offers commission-free ETF trading up to €100,000 per month.

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Risk warning

Financial instruments carry the risk of capital loss. 74–89% of retail investors lose money trading CFDs. Assess whether you can afford this risk.