ROI Calculator

Numbers stay in your browser. The default is a cost of 10,000 and an ending value of 12,000, which is a 20% ROI.

Quick answer: with cost in B2 and ending value in C2:

=(C2-B2)/B2

Format the result as a percentage. The numerator is the profit (or loss). Put fees you want in the base into B2, not just the sticker price.

10,000 in, 12,000 out

Profit is 12,000 − 10,000 = 2,000. ROI is 2,000 ÷ 10,000 = 0.2, or 20%. In Google Sheets on 12 November 2026, =(12000-10000)/10000 returned 0.2. A loss to 8,000, =(8000-10000)/10000, returned -0.2.

If you also spent 500 in fees, the cost is 10,500 and the return is =(12000-10500)/10500, which returned 0.14285714285714285, or 14.29% to two decimals. Leaving the 500 out of the cost overstates the return.

What this ROI is not

It does not care how long you held the investment. A 20% return in three months and a 20% return in three years look the same here. For a yearly rate over a multi-year hold, use the CAGR calculator. For a percentage move between two numbers that are not a cost and a sale, use percentage change.

Income taken out along the way (dividends, a partial sale) should be added to the ending value if you want it in the return, unless you are doing a more detailed money-weighted schedule. That schedule is outside this one-line formula. A cost of 0 makes the formula divide by zero; the calculator will refuse it.

Questions that come up

What is the ROI formula in Excel or Google Sheets?

With cost in B2 and the ending value (or proceeds) in C2, use =(C2-B2)/B2 and format the result as a percentage. A cost of 10,000 that ends at 12,000 is a 20% ROI. Include fees in the cost if you want them in the return.

Is ROI the same as CAGR or percent change?

ROI here is a single-period return: profit divided by cost. It does not annualize a multi-year hold — use the CAGR calculator for that. Percent change is the same arithmetic in another outfit, usually without calling the starting value a “cost.”

Can ROI be negative?

Yes. If the ending value is below cost, the formula returns a negative number. 8,000 back on a 10,000 cost is −20%. A cost of 0 cannot be used as the divisor.