What is the expense ratio of VEA vs VXUS?

VEA has an expense ratio of 0.03%, while VXUS has an expense ratio of 0.05%.

VEA vs VXUS

Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets Index Fund ETF Shares vs Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-10

VEA Vanguard

Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets Index Fund ETF Shares (VEA) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to equities in developed international markets outside the U.S.. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.78%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $217.2B ER: 0.03% Yield: 2.78% Since: Jul 20, 2007

VXUS Vanguard

Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares (VXUS) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to international stocks across both developed and emerging markets. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.05%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.82%. Launched in 2011, the fund has a 15-year track record.

AUM: $140.8B ER: 0.05% Yield: 2.82% Since: Jan 26, 2011

Quick Verdict

VEA has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.05%), saving about $40 per $10,000 over 10 years. VEA has edged ahead over the past year (40.6% vs 39.1%).

Key Metrics

Metric	VEA	VXUS
Expense Ratio	0.03%	0.05%
Dividend Yield	2.8%	2.8%
Fund Family	Vanguard	Vanguard
Category	International Developed	International Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

VEA +34.5%

VXUS +27.5%

Performance Comparison

Period	VEA	VXUS	Difference
1 Month	+2.70%	+2.80%	-0.10%
3 Months	+4.18%	+3.44%	+0.74%
6 Months	+13.10%	+10.89%	+2.21%
YTD	+7.02%	+6.15%	+0.87%
1 Year	+40.64%	+39.06%	+1.58%
3 Years	+48.42%	+45.95%	+2.47%
5 Years	+34.49%	+27.47%	+7.02%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment	Period	VEA Fees	VXUS Fees	You Save
$10,000	10 years	$60	$100	$40
$10,000	20 years	$258	$430	$171
$10,000	30 years	$835	$1,388	$553
$50,000	10 years	$299	$499	$199
$50,000	30 years	$4,176	$6,941	$2,765
$100,000	30 years	$8,352	$13,882	$5,531

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric	VEA	VXUS
Annualized Volatility	16.5%	16.0%
Max Drawdown	-32.3%	-32.7%
Sharpe Ratio	0.17	0.10

Dividend Comparison

Metric	VEA	VXUS
Annual Dividend (per share)	$1.88	$2.29
Dividend Yield	2.78%	2.82%
Distribution Frequency	Quarterly	Quarterly

Top Holdings

6 of top 9 holdings overlap (67% overlap in top holdings)

VEA Top Holdings

Name	Weight
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!krx/005930	2.18%
ASML Holding N.V.!ams/ASML	1.77%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/000660	1.24%
Roche Holding AGROC1.L	1.03%
Novartis AG!swx/NOVN	1.00%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA	0.99%
AstraZeneca PLC!lon/AZN	0.98%
Nestlé S.A.!swx/NESN	0.86%
Toyota Motor Corporation!tyo/7203	0.80%

VXUS Top Holdings

Name	Weight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/2330	3.43%
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!krx/005930	1.59%
ASML Holding N.V.!ams/ASML	1.29%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/0700	0.92%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/000660	0.91%
Roche Holding AGROC1.L	0.76%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!otc/BABAF	0.73%
Novartis AG!swx/NOVN	0.73%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA	0.73%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VEA if...

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

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