Ethereum Transaction Fees and Gas Prices: Trends and Insights [2020-2025]

Ethereum transaction fees and gas prices have experienced significant fluctuations over the past several years, reflecting changes in network demand, congestion, and market dynamics. This article provides a comprehensive overview of monthly transaction fees, gas prices, and the fee-to-gwei ratio from January 2020 through November 2025. By analyzing both absolute values and percentage changes, as well as the relative ratio of fees to gas prices, we highlight periods of high network strain, cost efficiency, and unusual spikes. Understanding these trends is essential for developers, traders, and users seeking to optimize transaction timing and manage costs on the Ethereum blockchain.

Historical trends in average Ethereum transaction fees

The following chart tracks the average Ethereum transaction fee in USD from early 2020 through late 2025. This long-range dataset highlights how network activity, market cycles, gas price volatility, and major ecosystem events influenced the ETH transaction cost per day and the Ethereum average transaction cost. The visualization also helps illustrate how periods of congestion drove spikes in the Ethereum gas fee per transaction, while quieter phases resulted in significantly lower fee levels.

• Average ETH transaction fees surged sharply several times, reaching extreme peaks such as $38.21 on February 23, 2021, and $53.16 on May 10, 2021, reflecting heavy network congestion.
• After the 2021-2022 highs, fees declined substantially, dropping to around $1-$3 for most of 2023-2024, with notable lows like $1.06 on August 26, 2024.
• In 2025, transaction costs stabilized further, frequently staying below $1, including $0.36 on March 22, 2025, signaling comparatively low gas prices and reduced network load.

Across the full timeline, Ethereum transaction fees display clear cycles of volatility tightly linked to market sentiment and network usage. The spikes of 2020-2021 correspond to high demand and elevated average gas price in gwei, while later periods show that transaction costs can fall dramatically during quieter phases. The consistent decline from 2022 onward suggests improvements in scalability, shifts toward L2 adoption, and more efficient fee markets. Overall, the data shows that the ETH gas fee per transaction in USD has become far more stable in recent years, offering users a more predictable transaction cost environment.

After reviewing how transaction fees evolved, the next section examines the primary cost driver, gas prices.

Historical trends in Ethereum’s gas price

The chart below visualizes the average gas price in gwei from January 2020 through late 2025. These values directly influence the average ETH transaction cost, making gas price trends essential for understanding broader fee dynamics on the Ethereum blockchain. The dataset highlights periods of heavy network congestion, market volatility, and protocol upgrades, all of which shaped the Ethereum gas per transaction and the ETH gas fee per transaction in USD.

• Gas prices reached extreme highs during periods of peak congestion, including 480.10 gwei on September 3, 2020, and 373.80 gwei on February 23, 2021, dramatically increasing the ETH transaction fee USD.
• From mid-2022 onward, the network saw a long-term cooling phase, with gas prices frequently dropping below 20 gwei, such as 7.39 gwei on May 8, 2024, and 4.01 gwei on August 19, 2024.
• In 2025, gas prices stabilized at some of their lowest historical levels, often below 3 gwei, including 1.16 gwei on September 11, 2025, indicating minimal network congestion.

The long-term data show a clear pattern of volatility in Ethereum gas prices, with sharp spikes during periods of high usage and major market events. Elevated values in 2020-2021 resulted in significantly higher Ethereum transaction fees in USD, while the later decline reflects easing network load, the impact of EIP-1559, and broader adoption of Layer 2 scaling solutions. By 2024-2025, the consistently low levels of average Ethereum gas price suggest a more efficient ecosystem where the typical ETH gas fee per transaction becomes far more predictable and affordable for users.

Having explored long-term gas price dynamics, the next step is to examine how ETH transaction fees change from year to year for the same months.

Year-over-year comparison of Ethereum transaction fees

The chart below presents a year-over-year comparison of Ethereum transaction fees in USD, showing how the cost of processing a typical transaction evolved between 2020 and 2025. By aligning each month across multiple years, the visualization highlights seasonal patterns, network demand cycles, and the overall volatility of ETH transaction cost per day, average ETH transaction cost, and ETH gas fee per transaction in USD. This perspective helps reveal how market conditions and major blockchain events shaped monthly fee fluctuations.

• Across all months, 2021 saw the highest ETH transaction fees, with peaks such as $42.15 in November 2021, compared to just $2.02 in November 2020 and $3.42 in November 2022.
• Monthly fees in 2024 and 2025 declined sharply, falling below $5 almost every month and reaching lows such as $0.51 in November 2025 and $0.36 in April 2025.
• For early-year months like February, transaction fees dropped from $24.25 in Feb 2021 to just $0.76 in Feb 2025, showing a long-term decrease of more than 96%.

How do ETH transaction costs change annually across each month

The year-over-year comparison clearly demonstrates the dramatic rise and fall of Ethereum blockchain transaction costs over the past six years. Fees peaked during the 2020-2021 congestion period but gradually normalized as network efficiency improved and Layer-2 adoption expanded. This long-term decline in ETH cost per transaction and Ethereum transaction fee in USD reflects a more scalable ecosystem where routine activity becomes increasingly affordable for users. The pattern also confirms that monthly trends, once dominated by volatility, have stabilized substantially in 2024-2025.

After examining how transaction fees evolved year over year, it is equally important to compare how average Ethereum gas prices shifted across the same monthly timeline.

Year-over-year comparison of Ethereum gas prices (gwei)

The following visualization compares average Ethereum gas prices in gwei for each month between 2020 and 2025. By aligning identical months across multiple years, the chart highlights market cycles, congestion waves, and how network upgrades reshaped average gwei price, average Ethereum gas price, and general gas demand. 

• Gas prices were at their highest in 2020-2021, with extreme peaks like 220.59 gwei in September 2020 and 224.44 gwei in February 2021, compared to just 2.04 gwei in September 2025.
  
  
• By 2024-2025, monthly gas prices dropped to historically low levels, including 1.38 gwei in November 2025 and 1.40 gwei in October 2025, marking a decline of more than 98% from pandemic-era highs.
  
  
• Months that once showed heavy volatility, such as March (ranging from 12.32 gwei in 2020 to 155.73 gwei in 2021), have stabilized significantly by 2025, ending at just 2.08 gwei.

How Ethereum gas price change each year by month

The year-over-year gas price data clearly demonstrates how Ethereum transitioned from periods of intense network congestion to a far more efficient and predictable environment. Massive spikes seen in 2020–2021 were driven by DeFi expansion, NFT surges, and limited block space. In contrast, the notable decline in average gas price gwei and minimum gas price Ethereum during 2024–2025 reflects broader adoption of Layer-2 scaling solutions and post-Merge optimizations. Overall, gas prices became dramatically more stable, lowering the Ethereum gas fee per transaction and making Ethereum more predictable and affordable for users.

Building on the year-over-year comparison, we now focus on monthly percentage changes in Ethereum transaction fees to capture short-term volatility and spikes in network activity.

Monthly percentage changes in Ethereum transaction fees

The chart illustrates the month-to-month percentage changes in Ethereum transaction fees from January 2020 through November 2025. It highlights periods of rapid growth, sudden declines, and cyclical patterns, helping users understand when the ETH transaction fee per day and average transaction cost were most volatile. This perspective is crucial for anyone monitoring Ethereum transaction fees in USD or predicting ETH gas fee per transaction (USD) trends.

• The largest monthly spike occurred in August 2021, with transaction fees surging 252% compared to the previous month.
• The deepest monthly decline happened in February 2025, when fees fell 84%, indicating a sharp reduction in network congestion.
• Months with moderate increases, like May 2023 (56%) and May 2025 (203%), show recurring seasonal surges in Ethereum gas per transaction costs.

How ETH transaction fees fluctuate month by month

Monthly percentage changes in Ethereum transaction fees reveal extreme short-term volatility even within a single year. High spikes, such as 252% in August 2021, often coincide with periods of network congestion and high demand for transactions, while sharp declines, like -84% in February 2025, indicate reduced congestion or improved transaction efficiency. Tracking these month-to-month shifts allows users to better anticipate average gas price fluctuations and plan transactions when the ETH gas fee per transaction in USD is more favorable. Over time, these patterns show the growing maturity of Ethereum’s network and the impact of scaling solutions on stabilizing transaction costs.

After analyzing the monthly changes in Ethereum transaction fees, we now examine monthly percentage changes in Ethereum gas prices, which provide insight into the cost of executing transactions over time.

Monthly percentage changes in Ethereum gas prices

The chart highlights month-to-month fluctuations in Ethereum gas prices from January 2020 through November 2025. It captures periods of rapid increase, sudden drops, and recurring seasonal trends. Understanding these changes is essential for anyone tracking average gas price gwei, ETH gas fee in USD, or Ethereum transaction cost trends.

• The most pronounced monthly surge occurred in September 2024, when gas prices rose 164%, reflecting a spike in network activity.
• The largest monthly decline happened in February 2025, with gas prices dropping 84%, signaling a sharp reduction in network congestion.
• Periods of moderate growth, such as May 2023 (81%) and May 2025 (132%), indicate recurring seasonal peaks in Ethereum gas costs.

How ETH gas prices fluctuate month by month

Monthly percentage changes in Ethereum gas prices reveal significant short-term volatility even within a single year. Sharp spikes, like 164% in September 2024, often coincide with high network demand, while steep declines, such as -84% in February 2025, indicate periods of low congestion or improved efficiency. Tracking these changes allows users to anticipate ETH gas per transaction in USD, plan cost-effective transactions, and better understand the dynamics of the Ethereum network. Over time, this analysis highlights patterns of gas fee fluctuations and the impact of scaling solutions on network costs.

Having analyzed transaction fees and gas prices separately, we now examine the ratio of transaction fees to gas prices (fee-to-gwei ratio), which highlights how efficiently network costs translate into actual transaction fees over time.

Transaction fee-to-gas price ratio over time

The fee-to-gwei ratio chart shows monthly trends from January 2020 to November 2025, offering insight into the relative cost efficiency of Ethereum transactions. Higher ratios indicate that transaction fees are high relative to the gas price, often due to network congestion or spikes in demand, while lower ratios suggest more efficient fee allocation.

• Early 2021 Surge: The ratio increased sharply to 0.108 in February–March 2021 and 0.294 in May 2021, reflecting high network congestion and rapid fee escalation during Ethereum activity peaks.
• Mid-2022 Dip: The ratio dropped to 0.1139 in July 2022, indicating lower transaction costs relative to gas price and improved efficiency.
• Late 2025 Peak: By October 2025, the ratio reached 0.4178, the highest value in the dataset, highlighting periods of network bottlenecks and high transaction demand.

Ethereum fee efficiency: ratio of transaction fee to gas price

The fee-to-gwei ratio provides a normalized measure of Ethereum transaction costs relative to gas prices. Tracking this metric reveals periods when fees disproportionately exceed base gas prices due to congestion, market volatility, or high-demand events. Peaks like 0.4178 in October 2025 indicate that total fees grew faster than base gas prices, reflecting temporary demand spikes where rising transaction volume pushes fees up even if block space is not fully saturated. This ratio is a crucial metric for developers, traders, and users who want to understand how gas prices translate into actual costs for transactions over time.

Conclusions

• By late 2025, the Ethereum network has become significantly more efficient and affordable, with average gas prices and transaction fees reaching their lowest levels in five years. This shift marks a transition from earlier congestion-driven cost spikes toward a more predictable and user-friendly ecosystem.
• The dramatic decline in both gwei pricing and transaction fees reflects the compound impact of The Merge, market cooling, and rapid adoption of Layer-2 scaling. These developments have expanded network throughput without sacrificing security, bringing routine transaction costs from $20-50 highs in 2021to approximately $0.3–$1 in 2025 (depending on the month).
• At the same time, monthly volatility remains present, with large short-term swings linked to demand surges, seasonal activity, and high-traffic events. However, such fluctuations are increasingly absorbed by improved fee markets and scaling capacity, preventing the runaway price spirals seen in earlier cycles.
• The long-term data signals a maturing Ethereum ecosystem where network usage no longer automatically results in prohibitive transaction costs. Instead, users, developers, and platforms can operate in an environment that is more stable, scalable, and economically efficient.
• Looking ahead, Ethereum’s evolution will depend on continued rollouts of L2s, further improvements to network bandwidth, and adoption of technologies that manage demand more intelligently. If progress continues at the current pace, Ethereum may fully transition from a system limited by block space to one capable of supporting large-scale global applications without cost-related barriers.

Sources

1. https://bitinfocharts.com/comparison/ethereum-transactionfees.html#alltime. Accessed 21 November 2025.
2. https://etherscan.io/chart/gasprice. Accessed 21 November 2025.