Cheapest network to send USDC right now
Right now the cheapest network to send USDC is BNB Smart Chain: $0.0016 in total (exchange + chain, ~5 s to confirm). The dearest with a reading is Tron at $2.08. All 8 USDC rails have a reading.
Read 15 Nov, 22:50 UTC. Exchanges readable: Binance, KuCoin and HTX. USDC taken at $1.00.
| Rank | Network | Chain fee | Speed | Cheapest withdrawal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BNB Smart Chain (BEP-20)cheapest 2 of 2 listed exchanges enabled · USDT transfer used as the proxy: same call, same gas | $0.0016 | ~5 s | $0.00 · Binance | $0.0016 exchange + chain |
| 2 | Polygon PoS 3 of 3 listed exchanges enabled · USDT transfer used as the proxy: same call, same gas | $0.0013 | ~5 s | $0.0099 · HTX | $0.011 exchange + chain |
| 3 | Arbitrum One 3 of 3 listed exchanges enabled · USDT transfer used as the proxy: same call, same gas | $0.0055 | ~1 s | $0.036 · HTX | $0.041 exchange + chain |
| 4 | Solana 3 of 3 listed exchanges enabled · USDT transfer used as the proxy: same call, same gas | $0.0004 | ~5 s | $0.300 · Binance | $0.300 exchange + chain |
| 5 | Base 2 of 3 listed exchanges enabled | not tracked | — | $0.500 · KuCoin | $0.500 exchange only |
| 6 | Ethereum (ERC-20) 3 of 3 listed exchanges enabled · USDT transfer used as the proxy: same call, same gas | $0.021 | ~1 min | $0.901 · HTX | $0.922 exchange + chain |
| 7 | Optimism 1 of 3 listed exchanges enabled | not tracked | — | $1.00 · KuCoin | $1.00 exchange only |
| 8 | Tron (TRC-20) 0 of 1 listed exchanges enabled · USDT transfer used as the proxy: same call, same gas | $2.08 | ~1 min | none enabled | $2.08 chain only |
Basis: total is the cheapest enabled withdrawal fee across Binance, KuCoin and HTX plus the chain's own fee for sending on again, where both are known; a rail with one reading is ranked on that and labelled. Chain fees from the networks (cached 90 s), exchange fees from their public endpoints (cached 10 min). Each network name opens its page with every exchange's fee, minimums and 24h history.
USDC rails, in short
Circle issues USDC natively on Ethereum, Solana, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon PoS and others. The USDC on BNB Smart Chain is a Binance-pegged token rather than a Circle issue, and Circle withdrew support for USDC on Tron during 2024, which is why no Tron rail is listed here.
Questions
- Which network is cheapest for USDC right now?
- BNB Smart Chain, at $0.0016 total (exchange + chain). Next is Polygon PoS at $0.011. Cheapest only helps if the receiver accepts USDC on that network: check their deposit page before choosing.
- Is the exchange fee or the network fee the bigger cost?
- On 4 of the 5 USDC rails where we read both, the exchange withdrawal fee is larger than the chain's own fee. On BNB Smart Chain, for instance, the cheapest withdrawal is $0.00 (Binance) against $0.0016 on-chain. Exchanges charge a flat amount that rarely tracks the live fee market.
- Are the USDC tokens on different networks the same thing?
- Circle issues USDC natively on Ethereum, Solana, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon PoS and others. The USDC on BNB Smart Chain is a Binance-pegged token rather than a Circle issue, and Circle withdrew support for USDC on Tron during 2024, which is why no Tron rail is listed here. For Base and Optimism we read only the exchange fee, not the chain's own.
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