How much does CFD trading really cost per month?
Verdict
- At Pepperstone, our top pick on cost, a trader doing 20 round-turn lots of EUR/USD a month pays about $140 on Razor via cTrader, $160 on Razor via MT5, or $220 on Standard, in spread and commission.
- Holding positions overnight adds swap, which depends on the instrument, direction and interest rates and is not included above.
- Pepperstone charges no inactivity or account fee, and deposits and withdrawals are free except an international bank wire at $20.
- Singapore residents trade with Pepperstone Markets Limited, licensed in the Bahamas (SCB SIA-F217), not by MAS.
Monthly cost is trading cost times activity, plus what you pay to hold positions. The spread and commission part is predictable if your broker publishes averages; swap is the part people forget. Here is the arithmetic using Pepperstone's published figures.
Three monthly profiles on Pepperstone
EUR/USD, USD account, one standard lot = $10 a pip. Razor: 0.1-pip average plus commission ($6 round trip on cTrader, $7 on MT5). Standard: 1.1-pip average, no commission.
| Profile | Lots per month | Razor, cTrader | Razor, MT5 | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occasional | 5 | $35 | $40 | $55 |
| Regular | 20 | $140 | $160 | $220 |
| Active | 80 | $560 | $640 | $880 |
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Costs beyond the spread
- Swap: charged or paid on positions held past the daily rollover; check the rate on your platform.
- Share CFDs: US shares $0.02 per share each way, so 500 shares cost $10 to open and $10 to close; HK share CFDs 0.2% per side.
- Perpetual CFDs: a daily funding rate set weekly in advance.
- Currency conversion if your account currency differs from the instrument's.
- Withdrawals: free, except an international bank wire at $20.
What Pepperstone doesn't charge
There is no inactivity or account-keeping fee, and every deposit method on the international site is free. Accounts with under 10 units of currency that sit unused for three months or more may be archived rather than charged. Pepperstone lists no commission on index or crypto CFDs; you pay the spread.
How XS compares on the same maths
XS's Elite account, which also accepts Singapore residents, averages 0.1 pips on EUR/USD with a $6 round-turn commission, so a lot costs about $7, the same as Pepperstone on cTrader. The difference is the entry ticket: Elite needs $500, Pepperstone $10. XS says it charges no internal fees but can apply up to 3% on withdrawals where there has been no trading activity.
Cutting your monthly bill
- Razor costs $3 to $4 less per EUR/USD lot than Standard; at 20 lots a month that is $60 to $80 saved.
- Use cTrader for FX if you are on Razor; it saves $1 a lot against MT5.
- Close positions before rollover if swap is working against you.
- Keep your account in the currency you fund in, such as SGD, to avoid converting deposits.
Sources
Is there a monthly fee to hold a Pepperstone account?
No. Pepperstone charges no account-keeping or inactivity fee.
Which Pepperstone account is cheaper per month?
Razor, for most active traders: about $7 to $8 a lot on EUR/USD against $11 on Standard.
Do these figures include swap?
No. Swap depends on what you hold overnight and is shown on the platform.
Leveraged CFDs can lose you money fast, and you should not trade with money you cannot afford to lose. This article reports broker-published terms and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any instrument.