How much does it cost to bridge to Base?

The network fee is usually cents rather than dollars, because gas across most source chains is currently low. The table on this page computes it live from each chain’s gas price. On top of that, a third-party bridge charges its own fee, which it quotes before you confirm.

How long does bridging to Base take?

Deposits through the official Base Bridge arrive within minutes. Withdrawing from Base back to Ethereum is the slow direction: the standard route has a seven-day challenge period before the withdrawal can be finalised.

Do I need ETH on Base before I bridge?

No, but you will need some once you arrive. Gas on Base is paid in ETH, so bridging only stablecoins leaves you unable to move them. Bridge a little ETH alongside, or use a route that delivers gas on arrival.

Is the official Base Bridge the cheapest route?

Not always. It charges no protocol fee, but it only runs between Ethereum and Base, and Ethereum gas is the expensive part. From another L2, a third-party bridge avoids the Ethereum hop entirely and is often cheaper despite its fee.

Bridge to Base

What each route costs and how long it takes, computed from live gas prices rather than quoted from memory.

Bridging onto Base is cheap — on most routes the network fee is cents. The number that varies is not the gas but the bridge’s own fee, and that depends on which provider and route you pick.

One thing to get right before you start: gas on Base is paid in ETH. Bridge only stablecoins and you will arrive with nothing to pay fees with.

From	Gas price	Send the native coin	Send a token	Route
Ethereumgas in ETH	0.55 gwei	$0.213	$0.350	Official bridgeThe only route the official Base Bridge covers. Deposits land in minutes.
Arbitrumgas in ETH	0.02 gwei	<$0.01	$0.013	Third-party bridgeThird-party bridge. No Ethereum hop needed.
Optimismgas in ETH	0.0010 gwei	<$0.01	<$0.01	Third-party bridgeSame OP Stack family, but still a third-party bridge between the two.
Polygongas in POL	279.27 gwei	<$0.01	<$0.01	Third-party bridgeGas is paid in POL, so the fee tracks the POL price rather than ETH.
BNB Chaingas in BNB	0.05 gwei	<$0.01	<$0.01	Third-party bridgeNot an Ethereum rollup, so every route is a third-party bridge.
Avalanchegas in AVAX	2.18 gwei	<$0.01	<$0.01	Third-party bridgeC-Chain. Gas is paid in AVAX.

Methodology: each row is that chain's current gas price, read from its own public RPC, multiplied by the gas a bridge transaction burns and by the live price of its gas token. We assume 150,000 gas to bridge a native coin and 246,000 for an ERC-20, which includes the approval. A real transaction varies with the bridge contract and calldata size. These are network fees only — the bridge's own fee is quoted to you before you confirm, and is not included here. Gas prices move constantly; treat any figure as an order of magnitude, not a quote.

Data: Base RPC · Updated Sep 20, 03:21 PM UTC

Which route to take

From Ethereum, the official Base Bridge is the straightforward choice. It charges no protocol fee and inherits Base’s security assumptions rather than adding a new one. Deposits arrive in minutes.

From another L2 — Arbitrum, Optimism — the official bridge is not an option, because it only runs between Ethereum and Base. Routing through Ethereum means paying Ethereum gas twice, so a third-party bridge that goes directly is usually cheaper even after its fee.

From a centralised exchange, withdrawing straight to Base is often cheapest of all, because the exchange absorbs the transfer internally. Check that the exchange lists Base as a withdrawal network first — sending to a Base address over the wrong network is the most common way people lose funds here. If you have hit that error already, the withdrawal error guide explains what it means.

Going the other way

Base back to Ethereum is the slow direction.

Base is an optimistic rollup, so a standard withdrawal to Ethereum has a seven-day challenge period. The withdrawal is started on Base, proven on Ethereum, and can only be finalised once that window has passed. That is the protocol working as designed, not a delay anyone can waive.

Third-party bridges get around the wait by fronting you the funds on the destination chain and taking the seven-day wait themselves. You pay for that in their fee.

Withdrawal timings per Base’s own documentation.

Frequently asked

How much does it cost to bridge to Base?: The network fee is usually cents rather than dollars, because gas across most source chains is currently low. The table on this page computes it live from each chain’s gas price. On top of that, a third-party bridge charges its own fee, which it quotes before you confirm.
How long does bridging to Base take?: Deposits through the official Base Bridge arrive within minutes. Withdrawing from Base back to Ethereum is the slow direction: the standard route has a seven-day challenge period before the withdrawal can be finalised.
Do I need ETH on Base before I bridge?: No, but you will need some once you arrive. Gas on Base is paid in ETH, so bridging only stablecoins leaves you unable to move them. Bridge a little ETH alongside, or use a route that delivers gas on arrival.
Is the official Base Bridge the cheapest route?: Not always. It charges no protocol fee, but it only runs between Ethereum and Base, and Ethereum gas is the expensive part. From another L2, a third-party bridge avoids the Ethereum hop entirely and is often cheaper despite its fee.

Network details for Base — chain ID 8453, RPC and explorer — are on the network page. Nothing here is financial advice, and bridges carry smart-contract risk on top of the fees discussed above.