Bank or credit union · United States

Citi vs Navy Federal Credit Union: total repayable, not the headline APR

Best case on $10,000 over 36 months, Navy Federal Credit Union costs $11,404 to repay and Citi $11,614 — a difference of $210 over the term.

Worst case — the top of each published range — the order reverses: Citi $12,923 against Navy Federal Credit Union $13,015.

Side by side

Both columns use the published APR range and fee range of each lender, computed on the same loan.

$10,000 over 36 months, United States. Sources: Citi checked 2026-08-25 and Navy Federal Credit Union checked 2026-08-25.
	Citi	Navy Federal Credit Union
Lowest published APR	9.99% with autopay; +0.50 without	8.74%
Highest published APR	17.49%	18.00%
Origination fee	none, as published	none, as published
Loan amounts	$2,000 to $30,000	$250 to $150,000
Terms	12 to 60 months	up to 180 months
You sign for, worst fee	$10,000	$10,000
Monthly, best case	$322.62	$316.79
Total repayable, best case	$11,614	$11,404
Monthly, worst case	$358.97	$361.52
Total repayable, worst case	$12,923	$13,015
Total repayable, best case, 60 months	$12,745	$12,379
Owner	not confirmed	not confirmed

How that is worked out

amount received = the amount you want in your account (10,000 on most pages) amount signed for = amount received / (1 - origination fee %) monthly rate = APR / 12 (United States) or (1 + APR)^(1/12) - 1 (United Kingdom) monthly payment = amount received x monthly rate / (1 - (1 + monthly rate)^(-months)) total repayable = monthly payment x months cost of credit = total repayable - amount received cost per 1,000 = cost of credit / (amount received / 1,000)

Nothing else is added. The APR already includes the origination fee by law in both markets, so the payment is worked out on the amount you actually receive, at the APR, over the term — which is exactly how the lender's own representative example is built. The fee shows up as the larger amount you sign for, and the interest on it is inside the APR. Late fees, optional insurance and early-settlement charges are not in any figure on this site, because they depend on what happens after you sign. Best case uses the lowest published APR and the lowest published fee; worst case the highest of each. The full method is at Method.

Where does the answer change?

The ranking above holds only under the conditions listed here.

The answer flips with your credit. At the bottom of the ranges Navy Federal Credit Union is cheaper; at the top the other one is. A wide range and a high fee at the top are usually why.
Do not decide yet until you hold both offers: Navy Federal Credit Union stays ahead only if the APR it actually offers you is below 9.99% — Citi's published floor, which is the point where its $11,614 best-case total is matched on this loan. An offer above that number reverses this page.

Who this is not for

This compares published ranges and nothing else. It is not a judgment about service, approval odds or speed, and we have not borrowed from either. If the two totals are close, this page will not decide it for you and should not.

Sources

Citi rates page. checked 2026-08-25
Navy Federal Credit Union rates page. checked 2026-08-25

Written by Kaz (pen name). Figures are copied from providers' published pricing pages on the dates shown. We have not used these products. Corrections: contact form.