What size gold bar can I realistically buy with my budget?

Last reviewed 2026-09-26

Gold is sold in fixed sizes, and the smaller the bar, the higher the premium per gram. So the honest answer to "how much gold can I buy" is not your budget divided by the spot price. It is the largest whole bar or coin your budget covers once the premium and delivery are added. Dividing your money by spot gives a weight of gold you cannot actually purchase.

Why dividing your budget by spot is misleading

Spot is the price of pure gold in the abstract. You cannot buy a blob of spot-priced gold; you buy a manufactured bar or coin, and every one carries a premium over spot. So £2,000 does not buy £2,000 of gold at spot. It buys a smaller amount once the dealer's cut and delivery are included.

Small bars cost much more per gram

The premium is not the same across sizes. A 1g bar can carry a premium of 20% to 30% or more, because the cost of making and packaging it is spread over very little gold. A 1oz (31.1g) bar might be only 2% to 4%. Per gram, bigger units are far better value, so if your budget stretches to a 1oz bar it will almost always give you more gold than the same money split across several tiny bars.

What different budgets realistically buy

As a rough guide, and gold moves constantly so treat these as illustrative: a few hundred pounds buys small gramme bars or a fractional coin at a higher premium; roughly the price of an ounce buys a single 1oz bar or coin at a low premium; larger budgets buy several 1oz units or a bigger bar. The aim is always the largest standard unit your money covers, because that keeps the premium you pay as low as possible.

Let the tool show you exactly

Rather than estimate, enter your budget into the Cheapest Gold tool. It shows how much actual gold your money buys at each UK dealer once premium and delivery are included, and ranks them, so you can see precisely what a given budget gets and which dealer gives you the most.

This is general information, not financial advice. Confirm current prices on the dealer's own site before buying.

Sources: BullionByPost: How to buy gold (premiums and sizes), The Royal Mint: VAT on bullion investments
Information only, not tax or financial advice. Physical bullion is unregulated (outside the FCA, with no FSCS or Financial Ombudsman cover). Tax treatment depends on your circumstances and can change; figures are for the 2026/27 UK tax year. Check current rules at gov.uk or ask a qualified adviser. The value of gold and silver can go down as well as up.