What is the expense ratio of EFA vs IJH?

EFA has an expense ratio of 0.32%, while IJH has an expense ratio of 0.05%.

EFA vs IJH

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF vs iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

EFA iShares

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to equities in developed international markets outside the U.S.. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.32%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.18%. Launched in 2001, the fund has a 25-year track record.

AUM: $75.4B ER: 0.32% Yield: 3.18% Since: Aug 14, 2001

IJH iShares

iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to mid-cap U.S. companies balancing growth potential and stability. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.05%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.26%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $111.0B ER: 0.05% Yield: 1.26% Since: May 22, 2000

Quick Verdict

IJH is significantly cheaper at 0.05% vs 0.32% expense ratio, saving you approximately $531 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. EFA has edged ahead over the past year (32.6% vs 31.3%). Income investors may prefer EFA for its higher yield (3.2% vs 1.3%).

Key Metrics

Metric	EFA	IJH
Expense Ratio	0.32%	0.05%
Dividend Yield	3.2%	1.3%
Fund Family	iShares	iShares
Category	International Developed	US Mid Cap

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

EFA +31.7%

IJH +31.9%

Performance Comparison

Period	EFA	IJH	Difference
1 Month	+3.15%	+3.07%	+0.08%
3 Months	+2.73%	+1.81%	+0.92%
6 Months	+9.84%	+9.27%	+0.57%
YTD	+5.24%	+5.32%	-0.08%
1 Year	+32.56%	+31.28%	+1.28%
3 Years	+41.58%	+41.49%	+0.09%
5 Years	+31.67%	+31.89%	-0.22%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment	Period	EFA Fees	IJH Fees	You Save
$10,000	10 years	$631	$100	$531
$10,000	20 years	$2,686	$430	$2,256
$10,000	30 years	$8,571	$1,388	$7,182
$50,000	10 years	$3,156	$499	$2,657
$50,000	30 years	$42,854	$6,941	$35,912
$100,000	30 years	$85,707	$13,882	$71,825

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric	EFA	IJH
Annualized Volatility	16.7%	19.8%
Max Drawdown	-32.4%	-24.6%
Sharpe Ratio	0.14	0.15

Dividend Comparison

Metric	EFA	IJH
Annual Dividend (per share)	$3.25	$0.89
Dividend Yield	3.18%	1.26%
Distribution Frequency	Semi-Annual or Annual	Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 10 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

EFA Top Holdings

Name	Weight
ASML Holding N.V.!ams/ASML	2.54%
AstraZeneca PLC!lon/AZN	1.47%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA	1.42%
Novartis AG!swx/NOVN	1.35%
Roche Holding AG!swx/ROP	1.29%
Shell plc!lon/SHEL	1.20%
Nestlé S.A.!swx/NESN	1.19%
Commonwealth Bank of Australia!asx/CBA	0.98%
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft!etr/SIE	0.95%
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.!tyo/8306	0.95%

IJH Top Holdings

Name	Weight
TechnipFMC plcFTI	0.88%
Flex Ltd.FLEX	0.81%
Curtiss-Wright CorporationCW	0.81%
United Therapeutics CorporationUTHR	0.75%
XPO, Inc.XPO	0.75%
Woodward, Inc.WWD	0.71%
FabrinetFN	0.66%
Royal Gold, Inc.RGLD	0.65%
MasTec, Inc.MTZ	0.64%
Carpenter Technology CorporationCRS	0.64%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IJH if...

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

Choose EFA if...

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

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