Which returned more over the last year, EFA or VUSB?

In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +18.2% and VUSB returned +3.7%, so EFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, EFA or VUSB?

EFA charges 0.32% a year and VUSB charges 0.10%, so VUSB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

EFA vs VUSB: how they differ

EFA and VUSB hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EFA returned more over the year.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, EFA and VUSB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in EFA	Only in VUSB
ASML Holding N.V. 2.60%	United States Treasury Bill 4.24%
HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 1.47%	United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.68%
ASTRAZENECA PLC 1.36%	PNC Financial Services Group Inc/The 0.59%
Novartis AG 1.30%	United States Treasury Note/Bond 0.53%
Nestle S.A. 1.21%	Regions Bank/Birmingham AL 0.52%
SHELL PLC 1.20%	US Bancorp 0.51%
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft 1.05%	Charles Schwab Corp/The 0.50%
COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA 0.98%	Truist Bank 0.45%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.

EFA and VUSB on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	EFA iShares MSCI EAFE ETF	VUSB Vanguard Ultra-Short Bond ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	Vanguard
What it is	Developed markets ex US	Ultra-Short Bond
Total return, 1 year	+18.2%	+3.7%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	+0.7 pts	−13.8 pts
Expense ratio	0.32%	0.10%
Holdings	705	1281

EFA in plain words

EFA is an index equity fund tracking the Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +18.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 705 positions, with the top ten at 13.4%.

VUSB in plain words

VUSB is a cash and treasury bills tracking the Ultra-Short Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +3.7% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.10% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EFA or VUSB?: In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EFA returned +18.2% and VUSB returned +3.7%, so EFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, EFA or VUSB?: EFA charges 0.32% a year and VUSB charges 0.10%, so VUSB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

EFA against VUSB, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, EFA against VUSB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EFA-VUSB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources