Original research · the weekly find
The weekly find — week 38, 2026.
measured by Skontro · permanent edition · 2026-09-14 → 2026-09-21
Week 38, 2026, USD books: cheapest OKX $2.61 all-in, priciest Coinbase $12.51.
01 · USD books
In dollars.
Skontro's dollar series · ISO week 38, 2026
Cheapest measured — full basket
OKX
$2.61 all-in
Most expensive measured — full basket
Coinbase
$12.51 all-in · 4.8× the cheapest
This week’s notes (2)
The widest measured exchange gap this week was on BTC: a $1,000 buy averaged $1.11 all-in at OKX vs $11.98 at Coinbase — 10.8× apart over 168 paired hourly measurements.
Time of day showed up in the measurements this week: the average hidden spread was $1.64 in the 12–16 UTC window vs $1.22 in 04–08 — 34.2% apart for the same $1,000 buy.
Window: 2026-09-14 → 2026-09-21 · 19,900 measurements · estimated exchanges excluded · Method: /true-cost/methodology
02 · USDT books
In USDT.
Skontro's dollar series · USDT books, never blended with USD
Cheapest measured — full basket
MEXC
1.60 USDT all-in
Most expensive measured — full basket
Coinbase
16.38 USDT all-in · 10.2× the cheapest
“Full basket” = every asset measured this week; the week-over-week note below uses only the basket both weeks share.
“0% fee” check: MEXC advertises a near-zero taker fee — measured all-in this week 1.60 USDT, 1.10 USDT hidden spread.
This week’s notes (3)
The widest measured exchange gap this week was on DOT: a 1,000 USDT buy averaged 2.32 USDT all-in at Binance vs 36.41 USDT at Coinbase — 15.7× apart over 168 paired hourly measurements.
Time of day showed up in the measurements this week: the average hidden spread was 1.72 USDT in the 12–16 UTC window vs 1.19 USDT in 20–24 — 45.3% apart for the same 1,000 USDT buy.
Week over week, MEXC's measured average all-in cost per 1,000 USDT buy moved from 1.33 USDT to 1.60 USDT (+20.5%, 4029 vs 4018 measurements, same 24-asset basket both weeks).
Window: 2026-09-14 → 2026-09-21 · 28,809 measurements · estimated exchanges excluded · Method: /true-cost/methodology
03 · EUR, the founding service
Founding EUR series.
Skontro's founding EUR series · longest continuous record
Cheapest measured — full basket
OKX
€1.86 all-in
Most expensive measured — full basket
Coinbase
€12.78 all-in · 6.9× the cheapest
“Full basket” = every asset measured this week; the week-over-week note below uses only the basket both weeks share.
“0% fee” check: MEXC advertises a near-zero taker fee — measured all-in this week €2.25, €1.75 hidden spread.
This week’s notes (3)
The widest measured exchange gap this week was on BTC: a €1,000 buy averaged €0.63 all-in at Binance vs €11.79 at Coinbase — 18.7× apart over 165 paired hourly measurements.
Week over week, OKX's measured average all-in cost per €1,000 buy moved from €2.79 to €1.86 (-33.4%, 4199 vs 4176 measurements, same 25-asset basket both weeks).
Week over week, Bitget's measured average all-in cost per €1,000 buy moved from €3.45 to €2.30 (-33.3%, 1512 vs 1511 measurements, same 25-asset basket both weeks).
Window: 2026-09-14 → 2026-09-21 · 33,014 measurements · estimated exchanges excluded · Method: /true-cost/methodology
Cite: Skontro Weekly Find 2026-W38, measured 2026-09-14 to 2026-09-21, 81,723 hourly order-book measurements. skontro.com/research/finds/2026-W38
See what a buy costs today, live · or this week’s rolling find and the monthly index.
← W37 · W38 · W39 → · All research
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Window: Monday 2026-09-14 → 2026-09-21 (UTC, ISO week) · 81,723 measurements · Method: /true-cost/methodology · JSON: /api/truecost/weekly?week=2026-W38
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