Original research · the weekly find
The weekly find — week 39, 2026.
measured by Skontro · permanent edition · 2026-09-21 → 2026-09-28
Week 39, 2026, USD books: cheapest OKX $2.76 all-in, priciest Coinbase $12.50.
01 · USD books
In dollars.
Skontro's dollar series · ISO week 39, 2026
Cheapest measured — full basket
OKX
$2.76 all-in
Most expensive measured — full basket
Coinbase
$12.50 all-in · 4.5× the cheapest
This week’s notes (2)
The widest measured exchange gap this week was on BTC: a $1,000 buy averaged $1.07 all-in at OKX vs $12.02 at Coinbase — 11.2× apart over 168 paired hourly measurements.
Time of day showed up in the measurements this week: the average hidden spread was $1.42 in the 12–16 UTC window vs $0.78 in 00–04 — 81.6% apart for the same $1,000 buy.
Window: 2026-09-21 → 2026-09-28 · 19,801 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
1.20 USDT all-in
Most expensive measured — full basket
Coinbase
13.79 USDT all-in · 11.5× 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 1.20 USDT, 0.70 USDT hidden spread.
This week’s notes (3)
The widest measured exchange gap this week was on XRP: a 1,000 USDT buy averaged 0.67 USDT all-in at MEXC vs 13.26 USDT at Coinbase — 19.9× apart over 165 paired hourly measurements.
Time of day showed up in the measurements this week: the average hidden spread was 1.13 USDT in the 12–16 UTC window vs 0.57 USDT in 00–04 — 97.9% 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 1.60 USDT to 1.20 USDT (-25.2%, 4018 vs 3998 measurements, same 24-asset basket both weeks).
Window: 2026-09-21 → 2026-09-28 · 28,641 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
€2.45 all-in
Most expensive measured — full basket
Coinbase
€13.35 all-in · 5.4× 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 €2.76, €2.26 hidden spread.
This week’s notes (3)
The widest measured exchange gap this week was on BTC: a €1,000 buy averaged €1.31 all-in at Binance vs €12.41 at Coinbase — 9.5× apart over 167 paired hourly measurements.
Week over week, OKX's measured average all-in cost per €1,000 buy moved from €1.86 to €2.45 (+31.7%, 4176 vs 4170 measurements, same 25-asset basket both weeks).
Week over week, Bitget's measured average all-in cost per €1,000 buy moved from €2.30 to €2.94 (+27.9%, 1511 vs 1507 measurements, same 25-asset basket both weeks).
Window: 2026-09-21 → 2026-09-28 · 33,224 measurements · estimated exchanges excluded · Method: /true-cost/methodology
Cite: Skontro Weekly Find 2026-W39, measured 2026-09-21 to 2026-09-28, 81,666 hourly order-book measurements. skontro.com/research/finds/2026-W39
See what a buy costs today, live · or this week’s rolling find and the monthly index.
← W38 · W39 · W40 → · All research
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Window: Monday 2026-09-21 → 2026-09-28 (UTC, ISO week) · 81,666 measurements · Method: /true-cost/methodology · JSON: /api/truecost/weekly?week=2026-W39
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