An Ethereum gas limit is not a fixed fee

An Ethereum gas limit is not a fixed fee

For an EIP-1559 transaction, the base fee changes by block and is burned; a priority fee goes to the validator. A wallet's maximum fee per gas is a ceiling, not necessarily the final price paid. The network fee depends on gas actually used and the effective price per gas.

Unused gas is not charged. A higher gas limit alone does not mean a transaction will cost more if it uses the same amount of gas. When reading a transaction receipt, distinguish the limit, the gas used and the effective fee.