What If You Invested $1,000 in Bitcoin 5 Years Ago?

Worth Today

$2,009.46

+$1,009.46 profit2.01x

Invested

$1,000.00

CAGR

15.0%

Time Period

5.0 years

Return

+100.95%

A $1,000 investment in Bitcoin 5 years ago (on September 29, 2021) would be worth approximately $2,009.46 today — a 2.0x return representing a 15.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over 5.0 years.

Try your own numbers

The calculator buys at the start of a year, so its answer differs from the exact-date result above.

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$2,878

+$1,878 profit2.88x20.2% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,218

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$2,596

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$2,009.46

Total Profit

$1,009.46

Multiplier

2.01x

CAGR

15.0%

Max Drawdown

-73.0%

Inflation-Adjusted

$1,669.82

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested 5 years ago compare across different asset classes?

AssetValue TodayReturn
Bitcoin$2,009.462.01x
S&P 500$1,890.731.89x
Gold$2,438.452.44x
Savings (2% APY)$1,104.121.10x

Historical Context

Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency, launched in 2009 by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. Its supply is capped at 21 million coins.

This page always measures from exactly 5 years before today, using that day's closing price. The start date moves forward one day at a time, so the result updates daily.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Bitcoin 5 years ago (on September 29, 2021) would be worth approximately $2,009.46 today — a 2.01x return ($1,009.46 profit) over 5.0 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the January 1 opening price, from CoinGecko, CoinMarketCap and Yahoo Finance historical data. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance (CoinGecko as a backup) and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the closing price exactly 5 years before today (the next trading day if markets were closed), held until today. The start date moves forward daily. No fees or taxes are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2021 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.

$1,000 in Bitcoin, by year

$1,000 in Bitcoin:1 year ago5 years ago10 years ago

Compare:Bitcoin vs EthereumBitcoin vs S&P 500Bitcoin vs GoldBitcoin vs NVIDIABitcoin vs TeslaBitcoin vs AppleXRP vs BitcoinDogecoin vs Bitcoin