If you had put $362.32 a month into NVDA for 60 months (5 years), from August 2021 through July 2026, your total principal of $21,739.13 would have grown to approximately $105,823.59 before taxes.
That's a return of roughly +386.8%. But these 5 years were an unusually specific window — an AI-chip super cycle — and included several drawdowns of more than -50% along the way.
These are historical returns and do not guarantee future results — the calculation method and assumptions are laid out transparently below.
Rather than guessing at an answer to "how much would I have if I started dollar-cost averaging into NVIDIA now," we went back and used NVDA's actual monthly closing prices (adjusted for stock splits) over the past 5 years. We assumed a purchase of $362.32 on the same date every month, and summed up all 60 months.
The Results
(5 years)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Calculation period | August 2021 – July 2026 (60 months) |
| Total principal | $21,739.13 |
| Pre-tax final value | approx. $105,823.59 |
| Pre-tax gain | approx. +$84,084.46 |
| Pre-tax cumulative return | approx. +386.8% |
| NVDA closing price, July 2026 | $197.58 |
Methodology and Assumptions
These results were calculated as follows.
- We used NVDA's actual monthly closing prices from August 2021 through July 2026 (split-adjusted).
- We assumed a purchase of $362.32 on the same date every month.
- Each month's contribution buys shares at that month's closing price; those shares accumulate, and the entire position is valued at the final month's (July 2026) closing price.
- This is a pre-tax, simplified calculation that does not account for trading fees, currency conversion fees, capital gains tax, or slippage.
Why These 5 Years Were Unusually Special
NVDA's past 5 years were anything but ordinary. In 2022, rising interest rates and semiconductor inventory corrections drove the stock down more than -60% from its peak. Then, starting in 2023, the generative AI boom triggered an explosion in demand for data-center GPUs, and the stock rose several-fold in a short period. Through this extreme volatility, dollar-cost averaging every month meaningfully paid off — the cost-averaging effect of buying more shares during the downturns really did make a difference here.
Put differently, a lump-sum investment made at a single point during the same period could have produced a very different result, and there's no guarantee the next 5 years will repeat the same industry cycle as the last 5.
Run the Numbers With Your Own Assumptions
If you'd like to adjust your own monthly contribution, time horizon, and expected return to compare scenarios, try the calculator below. It uses the same underlying logic as this article (monthly compounding).
Build Your Own Scenario With the Compound Growth Calculator
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This article is not a solicitation to buy any specific stock. It is an educational, reference-only simulation using actual historical prices. Investment decisions and their outcomes are the sole responsibility of the investor. Data source: Yahoo Finance monthly closing prices (adjusted). © 2026 EZLONG.