DCA Math
ADA · bought Jan 1, 2021 at $0.1751

$1,000 in Cardano in 2021 would be worth $1,186 today

That is a +18.6% return, or +3.0% a year over 5.7 years. It peaked at $16,940 and fell 95.2% from a high at the worst point.

$100 in 2021
$119
$500 in 2021
$593
$1,000 in 2021
$1,186
$5,000 in 2021
$5,928
$10,000 in 2021
$11,857
$
Price data from Apr 17, 2018 to Sep 13, 2026.

Buys at that day's close. Fees and taxes are not included.

Worth today
$1,186
5,711.35 ADA at $0.2076
Profit
$186
Return
+18.6%
Annualised
+3.0%
over 5.7 years
Bought at
$0.1751
Jan 1, 2021
Peak value
$16,940
Sep 3, 2021
Lowest value
$821
Jun 25, 2026
Worst drawdown
-95.2%
peak to trough

$1,000 in Cardano on Jan 1, 2021 is worth $1,186 today. Holding through it meant sitting through a 95.2% drop at the worst point.

What happened after Jan 1, 2021

$1,000 bought 5,711.35 ADA. The position hit its highest value of $16,940 on Sep 3, 2021 and its lowest of $821 on Jun 25, 2026. Today, with ADA at $0.2076, it is worth $1,186.

The 95.2% worst drawdown is the number to weigh against the headline. A holder who sold at the bottom of that fall never saw today's figure.

Other starting years

The same $1,000 at the start of a different year gives a very different answer. The Cardano overview compares every year side by side, and the DCA calculator shows what spreading the purchase out would have done instead.

Frequently asked questions

How much would $1,000 in Cardano in 2021 be worth today?
$1,186. $1,000 bought 5,711.35 ADA at $0.1751 on Jan 1, 2021, and ADA closed at $0.2076 on Sep 13, 2026.
What was the Cardano price in 2021?
$0.1751 at the close of Jan 1, 2021, the first trading day of 2021 in the data. The price moved a lot within the year; use the date picker to test a specific day.
What was the peak value of that investment?
$16,940 on Sep 3, 2021. The lowest point was $821 on Jun 25, 2026, and the deepest fall from a peak was 95.2%.
Does this include fees or taxes?
No. A typical 0.1% to 0.6% exchange fee would trim the result slightly, and any sale is a taxable event in most countries.