Bitcoin or Gold? If You Had Bought $50 Worth Every Month Over the Past 10 Years, How Much Would You Have Now? We Simulated Both

The long-term impact of the Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA) strategy in Bitcoin (BTC) has come back into focus as the new year approaches, using price data from the past 10 years.

According to a hypothetical scenario, if an investor bought $50 worth of Bitcoin at the beginning of each month, they would have accumulated a significant amount of Bitcoin today and multiplied their investment.

This analysis is based on monthly Bitcoin prices from January 2016 to December 2025. The calculation is based on a scenario where $50 worth of Bitcoin is purchased on the 1st of each month.

With monthly contributions of $50, the total investment reaches $6,000. During this period, the Bitcoin price has moved within a fairly wide range, from levels of a few hundred dollars in 2016 to the 2021 bull market, the sharp declines of 2022, and the new highs seen in 2025.

When all monthly purchases are combined, the investor’s portfolio accumulates approximately 0.43 Bitcoin. Considering the Bitcoin price is around $87,000, this amount is currently worth approximately $37,000–$38,000 in the market. In other words, a total investment of $6,000 has increased in value by more than six times over the long term.

Applying the same regular purchase (DCA) model to gold as in the Bitcoin example yields a more stable but more limited return profile. This scenario also assumes a $50 gold purchase at the beginning of each month starting in January 2016.

Over a ten-year period, the investor, just like in the Bitcoin example, makes regular purchases for a total of 120 months. The total amount invested in gold during this period is again $6,000. While the price of gold fluctuated between $1,100 and $1,300 during the 2016-2018 period, it gained upward momentum after 2020 and reached historical highs in the 2024-2025 period.

When monthly purchases are totaled, the investor’s portfolio accumulates approximately 3.4 ounces of gold. Considering the price of gold per ounce is around $4,350, the current market value of approximately 3.4 ounces of gold is between $14,500 and $15,000. In other words, an investor who invested a total of $6,000 over 10 years would have approximately doubled their capital.