$1,000 in Monero in 2018

A $1,000 investment in Monero (XMR) made in January 2018 would be worth about $1,110 as of May 2026 (latest complete month) — a ×1.11 return, or +1.3% per year. Adjusted for US inflation (CPI), that equals $827 in 2018 dollars. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 with dividends reinvested would have grown to $3,086.

In plain terms: after stripping out +34.2% US inflation since January 2018, today's $1,110 buys roughly what $827 bought back in 2018 — a ×0.83 gain in actual purchasing power.

Monero is the leading privacy coin: transactions hide sender, receiver and amount by default. Launched in 2014, XMR has survived repeated exchange delistings driven by regulation — a constraint on liquidity that has never quite killed the persistent demand for private money.

Data as of · updated weekly

Worth today
$1,110
×1.11 · +1.3%/yr
Inflation-adjusted
$827
in 2018 dollars
S&P 500 instead
$3,086
same period, dividends reinvested
Gold instead
$3,560
same period, futures price

The actual numbers: Monero since 2018

XMR price in January 2018$341.71
XMR price as of May 2026$379.28
Nominal return×1.11 (+1.3%/yr)
US CPI inflation since January 2018+34.2%
Real (inflation-adjusted) return×0.83 (−2.3%/yr)
Same money in the S&P 500$3,086

Methodology: start-of-month prices, one-time purchase, no fees or taxes assumed. Full methodology.

What happened in 2018

2018 was the crypto winter: Bitcoin fell 73%, Ethereum more than 80%, and most 2017 ICO tokens lost 95%+. A brutal lesson in what follows vertical years.

Recalculate with your amount and date

Results and the chart update instantly as you change the inputs.

Year
Month
Worth today
$1,110
×1.11 · +1.3%/yr
Inflation-adjusted
$827
in 2018 dollars
S&P 500 instead
$3,086
dividends reinvested
Gold instead
$3,560
same period

Monero vs S&P 500 total return vs uninvested cash eroded by CPI. Monthly grid, start-of-month prices.

FAQ: Monero returns since 2018

How much would $1,000 invested in Monero in 2018 be worth today?

About $1,110 as of May 2026 — a ×1.11 return. Adjusted for inflation, that equals $827 in 2018 dollars. This assumes a one-time purchase in January 2018 at $341.71 and never selling.

What does “inflation-adjusted” mean here?

US consumer prices rose +34.2% between January 2018 and May 2026 (CPI). So $1,110 today buys roughly what $827 bought in 2018. We deflate by CPI to show the gain in actual purchasing power.

Did Monero beat the S&P 500 since 2018?

No. $1,000 in Monero is worth $1,110, while the same money in the S&P 500 with dividends reinvested would be $3,086.

What was the average annual return of Monero since 2018?

+1.3% per year nominal (CAGR over 8.3 years), or −2.3% per year after CPI inflation.

Where does the data come from?

Crypto prices: Coin Metrics community data and Binance public market data. S&P 500: total-return index (^SP500TR). Inflation: US CPI (CPIAUCSL) from FRED. All series use a monthly grid and refresh weekly.

Monero in other years

201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025

Other assets in 2018

Bitcoin BTCEthereum ETHDogecoin DOGECardano ADAXRP XRPLitecoin LTCBNB BNBChainlink LINK

Educational purposes only — not investment advice and not a recommendation to buy or sell any asset. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Calculations assume a one-time purchase at the start-of-month price, no fees, no taxes and no selling.