Precious metals
Gold Price in the United States
Live gold price per gram and per ounce, by karat, in USD.
134.89 USD
per ounce: 4,195.60 USD · per tola: 1,573.35 USD
| Karat | Per gram | Per ounce |
|---|---|---|
| 24K | 134.89 USD | 4,195.60 USD |
| 22K | 123.65 USD | 3,845.97 USD |
| 21K | 118.03 USD | 3,671.15 USD |
| 18K | 101.17 USD | 3,146.70 USD |
Raw metal (spot) value — shops pay less when buying and charge more when selling (premium + making charges).
Typical making charges: souk ~6–10%, branded jewellery ~15–25%. Rough estimate — negotiate!
Silver: 1.96 USD / gram
Spot prices via gold-api.com, updated 2026-10-11 — for information only, not financial advice, and not our responsibility for any decisions made using them. Jewellers add a premium and making charges over spot, so retail prices are higher.
Gold price in the United States, explained
Gold trades globally in US dollars per troy ounce. To show the price in USD, we convert at the live exchange rate and divide by 31.1035 grams, then adjust for karat purity. That is why the local price moves with both the gold market and the USD exchange rate.
Need the price in another currency? Use our currency converter.
Gold in the United States: the local market
American jewelry is mostly 14K and 18K, while investment demand runs through one-ounce coins — the American Gold Eagle (22K) and Buffalo (24K) — and bars priced off the COMEX spot price.
There is no federal tax on buying bullion, but state sales-tax treatment varies; most states now exempt investment-grade gold above a purity or value threshold.
Local units & today’s value in USD
| Unit | 24K | 18K (local standard) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 gram | 135 USD | 101 USD |
| 1 troy ounce(31.1035 g) | 4,196 USD | 3,147 USD |
Spot value only — local shops add making charges and any taxes. Prices as of 2026-10-11.
How a US dealer quote is built
American bullion dealers quote a premium over the COMEX spot price rather than a per-gram retail price: a one-ounce Eagle or Buffalo typically carries a few percent over spot, generic one-ounce bars less, fractional coins and small bars more. Buy-back prices sit a little under spot. The difference between the two — the dealer spread — is the true cost of owning coins, and it is far smaller than the spread on jewellery, where the retail price includes design and brand and the scrap buy-back is based on the metal alone.
Jewellery is stamped in karats (10K, 14K, 18K) rather than the three-digit fineness marks used in Europe, and 14K — 58.5% gold — is the everyday standard. A 14K piece is worth about 58% of the 24K per-gram price shown here in metal terms, before any deduction for the refiner's margin.
Selling gold in the US
Scrap buyers and pawn shops pay a percentage of melt value that varies enormously; reputable refiners and coin dealers pay closer to spot for bullion and for jewellery in bulk. Dealers must file IRS Form 1099-B for certain bullion sales above reporting thresholds, and gains on physical gold are taxed as collectibles at up to 28% rather than at the lower long-term capital-gains rate — worth knowing before selling a large position.
Zakat nisab in USD today
The gold nisab — the minimum wealth at which zakat becomes due — is 85 grams of pure gold. At today’s spot price that is about 11,466 USD. If your zakatable wealth is above this, work out what you owe with our zakat calculator (live nisab, gold or silver method).
Gold price in other countries
Frequently asked questions
What is the gold price per gram in the United States today?+
This page shows the live 24K gold price per gram in USD, along with 22K, 21K and 18K. It is the international spot price converted to USD and divided per gram, updated hourly.
Why is the jeweller's price in the United States higher than this?+
This is the raw metal (spot) value. Shops add a premium plus making charges, and local taxes may apply, so the retail price is higher than spot.
Which karat is most common in the United States?+
18K (75.0% pure) is the karat most commonly traded in the United States. 24K is pure gold; lower karats mix in alloy and cost proportionally less per gram. Note: No federal tax on bullion; state sales-tax exemptions vary.
Is 14K or 18K better value in the US?+
Per gram of gold, they cost the same in metal terms; 18K simply contains more (75% against 58.5%). 14K is harder and cheaper per piece, which is why it dominates everyday American jewellery, while 18K holds more resale value per gram.