Different chain economics
Fast L2s and chains with more block capacity can quote tiny values such as 0.001 or 0.05 Gwei. Ethereum and busier networks often price blockspace higher.
Current network estimates
Gas price from each chain RPC. Cost estimate uses a basic 21,000-gas native transfer.
| Chain | Gas price | Native price | 21k gas in native token | 21k gas in USD | Measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethereum | 0.050208 Gwei | $2,390.88 / ETH | 0.00000105 ETH | $0.002521 | |
| Base | 0.006 Gwei | $2,390.88 / ETH | 0.00000013 ETH | $0.000301 | |
| Arbitrum | 0.02 Gwei | $2,390.88 / ETH | 0.00000042 ETH | $0.001004 | |
| Optimism | 0.001001 Gwei | $2,390.88 / ETH | 0.00000002 ETH | $0.00005 | |
| Polygon | 275.252819 Gwei | $0.09 / POL | 0.00578031 POL | $0.000543 | |
| Avalanche | 0.061652 Gwei | $7.35 / AVAX | 0.00000129 AVAX | $0.00001 | |
| BNB Chain | 0.05 Gwei | $718.57 / BNB | 0.00000105 BNB | $0.000755 | |
| Robinhood Chain | 0.0506 Gwei | $2,390.88 / ETH | 0.00000106 ETH | $0.002541 | |
| Robinhood Chain Testnet | 0.01 Gwei | $2,390.88 / ETH | 0.00000021 ETH | $0.000502 |
Why can gas be 0.001, 0.05, or even 284 Gwei?
Gwei is the price paid for one unit of gas, not the final transaction cost. Final cost is gas used × gas price × native-token value.
Network congestion
Demand changes every block. Popular mints, trading activity, liquidations, or sudden market moves can push a normally quiet network sharply higher.
Gwei does not compare dollars
One Gwei is one billionth of that chain’s native token. A high Gwei number on a cheap token can still cost fewer dollars than a low number on an expensive token.
L2 data fees
Some L2 transactions also pay for publishing data to Ethereum. RPC gas price × 21,000 is useful for comparison, but a wallet’s final quote can include extra L1 data fees.