Gas fee
Gas fee is the fee paid to execute a transaction or smart contract on a blockchain. The term originated in the Ethereum ecosystem, where the unit of computational resources is called gas. The fee is paid to network validators in the blockchain's native currency.
Fee = Gas Used × Gas Price
Following the EIP-1559 upgrade, the Ethereum fee is divided into a base fee (which is burned) and a priority fee (which goes to the validator). During periods of high network congestion, gas fees can increase significantly.
Gas fees across different networks:
| Network | Typical Fee | Paid In |
|---|---|---|
| Ethereum | $1–50+ | ETH |
| Solana | <$0.01 | SOL |
| BNB Chain | <$0.10 | BNB |
| Arbitrum / Optimism | $0.01–0.10 | ETH |
💡 Useful Tip
Transactions on the Ethereum network are generally cheaper during periods of low activity — typically at night in European and U.S. time zones. Current fees are available on etherscan.io or mempool.space.