On July 18, 2021, a unique perspective emerged in the cryptocurrency market: ranking digital assets by price per unit, rather than market capitalization. The most expensive cryptocurrency by unit price was Bitcoin (BTC), trading at approximately $31,693, followed closely by yearn finance (YFI) at around $27,900. These were the only two crypto assets with five-digit unit prices at the time.
Five-Digit and Four-Digit Tiers
Beyond Bitcoin and YFI, only two cryptocurrencies commanded four-digit unit prices: Maker (MKR) and Ethereum (ETH). MKR traded near $3,000, while ETH hovered around $1,900. This ranking completely disregards market cap, offering a different view of value distribution.
Three-Digit, Two-Digit, and Single-Digit Distribution
Eleven crypto assets fell into the three-digit range. Bitcoin Cash (BCH) led this group, followed by Compound (COMP), Binance Coin (BNB), and Aave (AAVE). The last three-digit coin was BitClout (CLOUT), just above $100.
Twenty-three assets were in the two-digit range, with Zcash (ZEC) leading near $100. Horizen (ZEN) and Filecoin (FIL) were in the $50 range, while KuCoin Token (KCS) occupied the 23rd spot. Twenty-seven cryptocurrencies were in the single-digit range ($1–$9), including seven stablecoins such as USDT, USDC, DAI, and TUSD. Another 21 coins traded between $0.50 and $0.99, with Klaytn (KLAY) leading and Tron (TRX) at the bottom.
Data Sources and Nuances
Different aggregation platforms recorded slightly varying numbers of coins: CoinGecko listed 8,545, CoinMarketCap had 10,939, while Markets.bitcoin.com and Messari offered their own counts. Despite these discrepancies, the overall distribution by USD unit price remained consistent.
In summary, the top five most expensive cryptocurrencies per unit on that day were Bitcoin (BTC), yearn finance (YFI), Maker (MKR), Ethereum (ETH), and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). This ranking highlights how high unit prices often correlate with scarcity, niche demand, or specific utility within decentralized finance.