The total cost of a crypto bridge transfer is the sum of five parts: gas on the source chain, the bridge or relayer fee, gas on the destination chain, any service fee of the app you use, and slippage if the route swaps tokens. On layer 2s and fast chains the network parts are usually cents; Ethereum mainnet gas is the biggest single cost when a route starts or ends there.
Key Takeaways
- Five components: source gas, bridge fee, destination gas, service fee, slippage.
- Mainnet is the expensive end: layer 2 and Solana gas is usually cents.
- Speed costs a little: in our check the fastest route delivered $0.15 to $0.75 less per $1,000 than the cheapest.
- Compare before signing: the quote shows the amount you receive after all fees.
Fee Components
| Fee | Paid to | Typical size |
|---|---|---|
| Source gas | Source network validators | cents on L2s, more on Ethereum |
| Bridge / relayer fee | Bridge or liquidity provider | small % of the amount |
| Destination gas | Destination network (often included in the route) | cents on L2s |
| Service fee | The app or widget | shown in the quote (Step Exchange: 0.7%) |
| Slippage | Market / pool | depends on liquidity and size |
Fast vs Cheap Routes
We requested 1,000 USDC transfers on 30 routes through LI.FI on October 22, 2026. On most EVM routes the cheapest option was standard Circle CCTP (about 18 minutes) and the fastest an intent-based bridge such as Across or Relay (seconds). The difference in the amount received was about $0.15 per $1,000 on EVM routes and up to $0.75 per $1,000 on Solana routes, before the service fee.
How to Keep Bridge Costs Low
- Avoid Ethereum mainnet at either end when you can; use Arbitrum, Base or Optimism.
- Bridge stablecoins and swap on arrival if the destination has deep liquidity.
- Bridge larger amounts less often: fixed gas costs matter less on bigger transfers.
- Check price impact on small or exotic tokens; see what is slippage.
Hidden Costs to Watch
- Gas on arrival: you need the destination’s gas token (ETH, BNB, SOL, POL) to move funds afterwards.
- Approvals: the first time you bridge a token you pay gas for an approval transaction.
- Wrong network: sending to an unsupported network can cost the whole amount.
Gas on Ethereum explained: ETH gas fees. Compare routes on the bridge hub.
