Stardust Calculator

Calculate exact stardust & candy costs to power up, max out, trade, or purify any Pokémon in GO.

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40
Level Stardust Candy XL Candy Cumulative ★

Search Pokémon...

1
Level Stardust Candy XL Candy Cumulative ★

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Purify

Purifying removes Shadow status and boosts IVs by +2 in each stat.

Pokemon GO Stardust Calculator: Power Up Costs Instantly

The Pokemon GO stardust calculator gives you the exact stardust and candy cost to power up any Pokémon from your current level to any target level — no guesswork, no spreadsheets. Enter your Pokémon, set your start and target levels, and the tool above delivers the total stardust cost in seconds.

Stardust is the most precious resource in Pokémon GO. Unlike candy, you spend it across your entire roster, which means every power-up decision matters. Whether you're pushing a raid attacker like Mewtwo from Level 30 to Level 40, or grinding an XL Garchomp for Master League, knowing the exact cost in advance lets you farm efficiently and avoid wasted effort. Use our CP calculator alongside this tool to check whether the power-up is actually worth it before committing your stardust.

The calculator accounts for every modifier that changes your cost: Lucky Pokémon reduce stardust by 50%, Shadow Pokémon increase it by 20%, and the Best Buddy bonus knocks off another 10%. You can toggle each of these on the Power Up tab to get an accurate figure for your specific Pokémon. For PvP players preparing for the GO Battle League, pair this with our Type Chart to confirm your Pokémon's stat product at the right level. Use the stardust calculator above to plan every power-up before you spend a single dust.

How to Use the Stardust Calculator

  1. Select the Power Up, Max Out, Trade, or Purify tab depending on what you want to calculate. Type your Pokémon's name in the search box and select it from the dropdown — the sprite and name confirm your selection.
  2. Set your Current Level using the slider. Check your Pokémon's level in-game by opening its summary page — the arc above the Pokémon shows roughly where it sits, or use the in-game Appraise feature for the precise reading.
  3. Set the Target Level you want to reach. Toggle on Lucky, Shadow, or Best Buddy if applicable. For Max Out, choose Level 40 (standard cap) or Level 50 (requires XL Candy and Best Buddy badge).
  4. Tap Calculate to see the total stardust, candy, and XL Candy required. The results table shows costs per level so you can decide exactly where to stop. Copy the results to your clipboard with the Copy button for easy reference.

How Stardust Costs Work in Pokémon GO

Stardust powers up Pokémon by raising their level in 0.5 increments. Each level bracket has a fixed stardust and candy cost that applies to every Pokémon species regardless of rarity. The cost increases as you push higher levels, and the jump between Level 30–40 and Level 40–50 is significant — which is exactly why planning with a calculator is essential before spending.

The Power-Up Cost Formula

Pokémon GO does not publish its cost tables officially, but the community has reverse-engineered them precisely. Each level from 1 to 40 costs a fixed stardust amount: levels 1–10 cost 200–1,000 stardust per step, levels 11–20 cost 1,300–2,500, levels 21–30 cost 3,000–6,000, and levels 31–40 cost 7,000–10,000. To go from Level 1 to 40 costs exactly 272,500 stardust and 273 candy for a standard Pokémon. Pushing to Level 50 adds another 296,000 stardust and 296 XL Candy on top of that — a total of 568,500 stardust to fully max a single Pokémon.

For Shadow Pokémon, the 20% surcharge applies to every step. The total from Level 1 to 40 rises to roughly 327,000 stardust. This makes purifying before powering up sometimes the smarter economic choice — especially for bulk power-ups on budget Pokémon. Verify your specific scenario with the calculator above before deciding.

Lucky Pokémon: The Best Discount in the Game

Lucky Pokémon carry a permanent 50% stardust discount on every power-up. A standard L1–L40 push costs only 136,250 stardust for a Lucky — the single biggest efficiency multiplier available. Lucky trades require Best Friend status or are obtained via trading Pokémon caught before July 2016. If you're planning a major resource commitment on an attacker like Rayquaza or Lucario, trying to get it Lucky first can save over 100,000 stardust. Pair your decision with our Type Chart if you're planning to evolve before powering up — always evolve first to avoid wasting resources on a Pokémon that might not reach its evolved CP cap.

XL Candy and the Level 40–50 Wall

Levels 41–50 were introduced in November 2020 and require a separate resource: XL Candy. You need 296 XL Candy total to go from Level 40 to 50 — that's 296 power-up actions each costing 1 XL Candy. The stardust cost for this range is also steep: 296,000 stardust. XL Candy is obtained by catching Pokémon (rare chance), transferring, walking 20km with a Buddy, or converting 100 regular candy to 1 XL. Only invest in Level 50 for Pokémon that are already 15/15/15 IVs or near-perfect PvP spreads — check with our Type Chart first.

Trade Costs and Friendship Levels

Trading costs stardust based on trade type and friendship level. Standard trades between Best Friends cost just 100 stardust. The same trade at Good Friend level costs 100 stardust for standard, but Legendary / Shiny trades jump to 1,000,000 stardust at Good Friend and drop to just 40,000 at Best Friend. Building friendship before trading rare Pokémon is one of the highest-value stardust savings strategies in the game.

Stardust & Candy Cost Per Level (Standard Pokémon)

LevelStardust / StepCandy / StepXL Candy / StepCumulative Stardust (from Lv 1)
1 → 1.52001—200
5 → 5.54001—2,200
10 → 10.58001—7,000
15 → 15.51,6002—22,000
20 → 20.52,5002—48,500
25 → 25.54,0003—96,000
30 → 30.56,0003—159,500
35 → 35.58,0004—222,500
40 → 40.510,0006—272,500
41 → 41.512,000—8284,500
45 → 45.515,000—10380,500
50 (max)———568,500 total

Stardust Calculator — Frequently Asked Questions

Powering a standard Pokémon from Level 1 to Level 40 costs 272,500 stardust and 273 candy. Lucky Pokémon halve this to 136,250 stardust. Shadow Pokémon cost roughly 327,000 stardust due to the 20% surcharge on every step. Use the calculator above to get the exact figure for any starting level.
A full Level 1 to 50 power-up costs 568,500 stardust and 296 XL Candy (plus 273 regular candy). The Level 40–50 range alone costs 296,000 stardust and 296 XL Candy. Level 50 requires the Pokémon to have the Best Buddy ribbon and enough XL Candy for each step. Only invest in Pokémon with near-perfect IVs for raids or Master League.
Trading a Legendary, Mythical, or Shiny Pokémon costs 1,000,000 stardust at Good Friend level. This drops dramatically as friendship increases: Great Friend (70,000), Ultra Friend (8,000), and Best Friend (40,000 for Legendaries that are already in your Pokédex, or 1,000,000 for a new Pokédex entry at Good Friend). Always reach Best Friend status before trading rare Pokémon to save hundreds of thousands of stardust.
Yes — Lucky Pokémon have a permanent 50% stardust discount on every power-up step. This discount applies from Level 1 all the way to Level 50 and stacks with no other modifier except the Best Buddy bonus (–10%), potentially reducing costs by 55% combined. Lucky status is assigned randomly when trading and cannot be removed. It is the single most powerful cost-reduction mechanic in the game.
Shadow Pokémon cost 20% more stardust per power-up step compared to standard Pokémon. For a Level 1–40 push, this adds approximately 54,500 extra stardust. Purifying a Shadow Pokémon removes the 20% surcharge and also boosts each IV by +2, but purified Pokémon lose the 20% attack bonus. For high-IV Shadows destined for raids, most veteran players keep them Shadow and absorb the extra stardust cost. The calculator's Shadow toggle shows you the exact premium before you decide.
Reaching Best Buddy status with a Pokémon grants a permanent 10% stardust discount on all power-ups for that specific Pokémon. Buddy status is earned by walking, feeding, playing, and battling with your Buddy — reaching Best Buddy requires 300 Buddy Hearts total. The Best Buddy discount stacks with Lucky (–50%), making the combined discount 55% off standard cost. It also enables powering a Pokémon beyond Level 40 to Level 50 when combined with sufficient XL Candy.
Purification costs vary by Pokémon species tier. Common Pokémon like Rattata or Pidgey cost 1,000 stardust and 1 candy to purify. Uncommon species like Nidoran cost 3,000 stardust and 3 candy. Rare Pokémon (Larvitar, Beldum, Snorlax) cost 5,000 stardust and 5 candy. Purification removes Shadow status, boosts each IV by +2, and removes the 20% power-up surcharge. Use the Purify tab above to find the cost for any specific Pokémon.
The fastest stardust methods are: catching Pokémon with a Star Piece active (×1.5 multiplier), completing Research Breakthroughs (4,000–8,000 stardust), and opening Gifts from Best Friends (200 stardust each). Weather-boosted catches grant 125 stardust instead of 100. Hatching 10km Eggs awards 1,600–3,200 stardust. During Community Day events, stardust bonuses often stack with Star Pieces for extremely efficient farming windows.

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