Arbitrum gas fees are tiny in dollar terms: on October 29, 2026, a simple transfer cost under $0.001 and a swap about $0.01 in gas on our live check. Gas on Arbitrum One is paid in ETH. Below: how the fee works, live numbers and how to get ETH if you have none.
Key Takeaways
- Gas token: ETH.
- Transfer: under $0.001 on our check.
- Swap: about $0.01 of gas on a live route.
- No ETH, no transactions: even sending a stablecoin needs a little ETH.
How Arbitrum Fees Work
Arbitrum One is an Ethereum layer 2 (optimistic rollup). Its fee covers the L2 execution of your transaction and a share of the cost of posting data to Ethereum. After Ethereum’s Dencun upgrade in March 2024, posting data became much cheaper, and typical Arbitrum fees dropped to around a cent or less.
Live Fees on Arbitrum
| October 29, 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Gas price | 0.020 gwei |
| ETH price | $2,309.62 |
| Simple transfer (21,000 gas) | under $0.001 + small L1 data fee |
| Swap (live LI.FI route, USDC to ETH) | about $0.01 |
Gas price from a public Arbitrum RPC (eth_gasPrice); swap gas from a live LI.FI route for $100 of USDC. Fees move with demand, so check the wallet estimate before you sign.
What Moves Arbitrum Fees
The L2 gas price rises when Arbitrum itself is busy (for example during big launches), and the L1 component follows Ethereum data costs. A simple transfer stays cheap; complex DeFi transactions use more gas units.
How to Pay Less
- Batch actions: fewer transactions mean fewer fees.
- Avoid peak moments: big launches and market crashes push gas up.
- Keep a small ETH buffer: running out mid-way forces an extra top-up transaction.
- Compare networks: see gas tokens by chain and ETH gas fees.
No ETH on Arbitrum?
You cannot pay Arbitrum fees with another token. The quickest fix is a one-step swap from a network where you already have funds, straight to ETH on Arbitrum, using the widget on this page. Related: crypto bridge fees, how long does bridging take.
Bridging from Arbitrum: ETH to SOL, Hyperliquid bridge.
