Blog·Gold prices · May 2026
Gold Price Per Gram — May 2026: Live Rates & Monthly Review
Gold has been one of the most-watched assets of 2026. In our stored 2026 snapshots, January marked a year-to-date high around — for 24K (spot-derived), followed by a pullback and wider trading ranges into May as markets weighed rates and safe-haven demand. Below you'll find today's live gold price per gram for every karat, plus a short May recap and what it means if you're selling jewelry or scrap.
Gold price per gram May 2026 (live rates)
As of this page load, 24K is around $151.59/g (about $4715/troy oz). The table below updates daily for 10K, 14K, 18K, 22K, and 24K.
Snapshot: 10K ≈ $63.16/g · 14K ≈ $88.43/g · 18K ≈ $113.69/g. For fixed-weight melt references (same USD spot basis), browse the gold value hub or open an example like 10g of 14K.
May 2026 market recap (high, low, and context)
This recap is based on our stored USD price snapshots. After April's consolidation, May's tape featured wider swings as traders weighed funding costs, headline risk, and persistent safe-haven interest in bullion.
2026 monthly closes (24K, spot-derived): Mar close $4426/oz · Apr close $4610/oz.
Within May, our 24K snapshots show a monthly range between $4521/oz and $4718/oz (spot-derived). Use the live table above for today's per-gram rate and the table below for the month summary.
| Metric | May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Approximate high | $4718/oz |
| Approximate low | $4521/oz |
| Change vs April | +2.3% |
| 12-month change | — |
| 14K per gram | $88.43/g |
2026 Jan–May monthly snapshot (24K spot-derived)
Monthly aggregation derived from price snapshots stored in our database (USD, 24K spot-derived basis).
| Month | High (oz) | Low (oz) | Close (oz) | Close (g) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01 | — | — | — | — | Database snapshots |
| 2026-02 | — | — | — | — | Database snapshots |
| 2026-03 | $5197 | $4363 | $4426 | $142.30 | Database snapshots |
| 2026-04 | $4870 | $4610 | $4610 | $148.20 | Database snapshots |
| 2026-05 | $4718 | $4521 | $4715 | $151.59 | Database snapshots |
Data note: “24K spot-derived” refers to the spot gold price basis. Jewelry buy offers typically pay a percentage of melt after testing/refining costs and margin.
What's driving gold prices in 2026?
- Geopolitical risk premium: conflict risk and energy supply disruptions can keep safe-haven demand elevated.
- Central bank buying: persistent official-sector demand can support prices through cycles.
- Retail bar & coin demand: investor demand can accelerate when volatility rises.
- Interest rate uncertainty: higher rates can be a headwind, but safe-haven and inflation narratives can offset it.
May 2026 vs April 2026 (dataset snapshot)
In our 2026 dataset, April's recorded 24K end value was about $148.20/g. Current loaded 24K is at or above that mark. Year-to-date framing: gold is down about 9.1% versus the year-start reference.
What this means if you're selling gold (melt vs offers)
Melt value is a benchmark, but buyers typically pay a percentage of melt based on their costs, testing, and margin. Typical payout bands look like this:
| Buyer type | Payout (% of melt) | 14K per gram (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn shop | 50–70% | ~$44–$62/g |
| Local gold buyer | 65–80% | ~$57–$70/g |
| Online buyer | 80–92% | ~$70–$81/g |
| Refinery | 88–95% | ~$77–$84/g |
Before you accept any offer, compute your melt value and compare at least 2–3 quotes. For more on why offers are below spot, see why scrap gold pays less than spot.
FAQ
Disclaimer: Prices are derived from spot and update daily. Buyer payouts vary by channel, testing, and region.