Bitcoin in 2018: $13,657.20 Per Coin
January 2018 was the tail end of the mania. Bitcoin had just hit $20,000 the month before, and the hangover was beginning. By December it would fall to $3,200. The crypto winter had begun. Meanwhile, the Fed was raising rates, trade wars with China escalated, and FAANG stocks dominated headlines before their own correction hit.
On January 1, 2018, one Bitcoin cost $13,657.20. At today's price of $73,071, that represents a 5x return. Here is what different investments would be worth.
The Math: $100, $500, and $1,000 Invested
$100 invested would have bought 0.0073 BTC, worth $535 today.
$500 invested would have bought 0.0366 BTC, worth $2,675 today.
$1,000 invested would have bought 0.0732 BTC, worth $5,350 today.
BTC price then: $13,657.20
BTC price now: $73,071
Return multiple: 5x
What This Actually Means for You
A 5.4x return in 8 years is solid, especially compared to a savings account losing purchasing power to inflation every year. But the real insight is not about this specific entry point. It is about the trajectory. Bitcoin has been the best-performing asset of the last 15 years, and its fundamental properties — fixed supply, decentralization, censorship resistance — have not changed.
The strategy that works is dollar cost averaging. Buy a fixed amount regularly. Do not try to time the market. Every four-year DCA window in Bitcoin's history has been profitable. Even people who bought near previous all-time highs and kept buying ended up well ahead.
Want to protect your savings from inflation? Bitcoin's fixed supply of 21 million coins means no central bank can dilute your holdings. That alone makes it worth understanding.
Run Your Own Numbers
Want to see what a custom amount would be worth? Use the What If calculator to plug in any amount and any date. Or try the DCA calculator to see what regular weekly or monthly purchases would have grown to. If you are new to all of this, start here.