ETF Versus

BIL vs XLRE

State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF vs State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

BIL SPDR

State Street SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to short-duration U.S. Treasury bonds with low interest rate risk. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.14%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.95%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $51.5B ER: 0.14% Yield: 3.95% Since: May 25, 2007
XLRE SPDR

State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - real estate securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.27%. Launched in 2015, the fund has a 11-year track record.

AUM: $7.5B ER: 0.08% Yield: 3.27% Since: Oct 7, 2015

Quick Verdict

XLRE has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.08% vs 0.14%), saving about $119 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, XLRE has significantly outperformed with a 11.5% return vs -0.0%. Income investors may prefer BIL for its higher yield (4.0% vs 3.3%).

Key Metrics

Metric BIL XLRE
Expense Ratio 0.14% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 4.0% 3.3%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Short-Term Treasury US Sector - Real Estate

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 86 97 108 119 130 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
BIL +0.0%
XLRE +5.4%

Performance Comparison

Period BIL XLRE Difference
1 Month +0.03% +0.90% -0.87%
3 Months +0.01% +5.34% -5.33%
6 Months -0.10% +4.60% -4.70%
YTD +0.08% +5.97% -5.89%
1 Year -0.03% +11.49% -11.52%
3 Years -0.08% +14.20% -14.28%
5 Years +0.00% +5.45% -5.45%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period BIL Fees XLRE Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $278 $159 $119
$10,000 20 years $1,194 $686 $508
$10,000 30 years $3,841 $2,212 $1,628
$50,000 10 years $1,391 $797 $594
$50,000 30 years $19,203 $11,061 $8,141
$100,000 30 years $38,406 $22,123 $16,283

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric BIL XLRE
Annualized Volatility 1.1% 19.1%
Max Drawdown -0.7% -37.9%
Sharpe Ratio -4.13 -0.08

Dividend Comparison

Metric BIL XLRE
Annual Dividend (per share) $3.62 $1.40
Dividend Yield 3.95% 3.27%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Quarterly

Top Holdings

XLRE Top Holdings

NameWeight
Welltower Inc.WELL10.17%
Prologis, Inc.PLD9.10%
Equinix, Inc.EQIX7.12%
American Tower CorporationAMT5.87%
Digital Realty Trust, Inc.DLR4.60%
Simon Property Group, Inc.SPG4.58%
CBRE Group, Inc.CBRE4.53%
Ventas, Inc.VTR4.36%
Realty Income CorporationO4.35%
Public StoragePSA4.33%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLRE if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose XLRE if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose BIL if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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