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Choosing a USDC network before you send
USDC is issued separately on each network it lives on, so the network is part of what you are sending rather than a route it takes. The choice works the same way as it does for any stablecoin — acceptance first, then cost — with one practical difference worth knowing: USDC is supported on a narrower set of networks by many receivers than USDT is, so the acceptance question filters harder and earlier.
Where USDC lives
On Ethereum, and on a set of newer networks including Solana, Base, Arbitrum, Polygon, Optimism and Avalanche. Each is a separate token with the same name and price, and no wallet moves a balance between them by sending.
Where it differs from USDT in practice
Not in how the networks work, but in who takes it. A receiver that accepts USDT on many networks may accept USDC on only a few, and the reverse happens too. This is the reason to check the destination first rather than choosing on fee alone: the cheapest network is not a saving if the funds land somewhere unusable.
Cost is not fixed by the coin
What you pay to send is charged by the network, not by the token, so the same USDC transfer costs very different amounts on different chains. On a small transfer that difference can be a large share of the amount, which is worth checking rather than assuming.
Before you send
Confirm the network beside the address, confirm your wallet is sending on that network, and confirm the receiver named USDC specifically rather than "a stablecoin". Those three take a few seconds and remove almost every way this goes wrong.