FREE TOOL · YEAR-END DATA
Bitcoin vs. Gold vs. S&P 500
Put $1,000 into bitcoin, gold, or the S&P 500 at the end of any year since 2011. See what it would be worth today — and how the other two would have done with the same money.
Your hypothetical investment
AMOUNT INVESTED
STARTING YEAR-END
Compares against today's live bitcoin price and approximate current gold and S&P 500 levels.
₿ BITCOIN
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◆ GOLD
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▲ S&P 500
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GROWTH SIDE BY SIDE
Bitcoin
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Gold
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S&P 500
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Bar length scaled to the largest of the three current values.
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Figures use approximate year-end closing levels and today's live bitcoin price, and exclude dividends (S&P 500), storage costs (gold), and custody fees (bitcoin) — none of which are precise total-return calculations. Bitcoin's history includes multiple 70–80% drawdowns; past performance says nothing about future returns. This is an illustration, not investment advice.
Why compare these three
Gold and the S&P 500 are the two assets bitcoin gets compared to most often — gold as the traditional "store of value" bitcoin is often framed as digital competition for, and the S&P 500 as the default benchmark for "just index and forget it." Putting all three on the same starting line, with the same dollar amount, makes the size of the gap concrete instead of abstract.
The gap has been large in bitcoin's favor across every multi-year window since 2011, but that comes with a tradeoff most comparisons leave out: bitcoin's volatility is an order of magnitude higher than either alternative. It has fallen more than 70% from its highs multiple times — something neither gold nor a diversified stock index has done in the same period. A fair read of this tool includes both numbers: the return, and the ride it took to get there.
Frequently asked questions
Has bitcoin really outperformed gold and the S&P 500?
Over every multi-year window since 2011, yes, by a wide margin — but with dramatically higher volatility, including multiple 70-80% drawdowns gold and stocks have never experienced. Past performance is not a guide to future returns.
What data does this calculator use?
Approximate year-end closing levels for bitcoin (USD), gold (USD per troy ounce), and the S&P 500 index, sourced from public historical price records. Figures are rounded and for illustration, not precise total-return calculations.
Does this include dividends or gold storage costs?
No. The S&P 500 figures are price-only and exclude reinvested dividends, which would modestly increase its real-world total return. Gold figures exclude storage and insurance costs. Bitcoin figures exclude custody fees.
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SOURCE
Year-end levels are approximate historical figures. Bitcoin's current value uses a live price feed; nothing you enter is stored or transmitted.