Groceries
See which package is cheaper per unit
The shelf price is the headline. The unit price is the footnote.
- Calculated from prices you enter
- About 2 minutes
- Easy
- No fixed savings figure
The short version
This is for someone comparing two grocery packages in the United States. In about two minutes you can see which one costs less per unit. There is no savings range on this page. The only number is the gap between the two prices you enter. Nothing here was checked against a store or a study.
Two tags, one glance
You are holding two packages of the same food. One price is set in large type. That large type is the amount due, and it behaves like a headline: it is what the eye meets first. The price per ounce, pound, item, or milliliter is usually smaller, like a footnote.
After this, you can tell which of two packages is cheaper per unit from the price and size on the label.
Which headline looks cheaper?
These two labels are made up so you can practice. They are not store prices. The footnotes stay hidden until you choose.
Headline
$3.00
Example box A · 12 oz
Headline
$4.00
Example box B · 20 oz
Which one do you think costs less per ounce?
The footnote
The label is built this way
Missing the footnote is not a failure of attention. A shelf tag borrows a newspaper habit. One number answers “what do I hand over at the register?” Another, smaller number answers “what do I pay per unit?”
A bigger package is allowed to wear a bigger headline and still have a cheaper footnote. From the printer’s side, the large type is the total. That is a real question. It is just not the comparison. This page does not claim a brand planned to confuse anyone. It only separates the two questions.
Now run your own numbers
The free app takes two prices and two sizes and shows the lower footnote. It does not ask for an account. The answer is not behind the offer on that page.
See which package is cheaper per unit
The result on this page is free. A site-wide pass, pay what you can, is only a preview. It is not a separate charge to save this result. The pass would be for a medical bill dispute letter, a state heating-aid checklist, and a subscription cancellation script pack. Nothing on this page can charge you.
How we calculated this
Unit price = shelf price ÷ package size. In the made-up pair, that is $3.00 ÷ 12 oz and $4.00 ÷ 20 oz. The footnotes stay hidden until you guess, unless JavaScript is off, in which case the pair is spelled out above.
The app uses the same division. Pounds and ounces are compared per ounce, using 16 ounces in a pound. Ounces are not converted into milliliters or into a count. There is no national price and no savings range.
Limits of this guide
- It does not check a store, a flyer, or a receipt.
- It does not compare nutrition, quality, or coupons.
- A cheaper footnote can still be a poor buy if you will throw some away.
- Bills, gas, utilities, and housing each have their own page. Help Finder and medical bills each have their own page. They are not in this article.
Who this will not work for
- Two different foods, even if they sit on the same shelf.
- Sizes in different kinds of units, such as ounces versus a count. The app refuses that instead of inventing a conversion.
- A benefits, medical, legal, or housing decision. This page does not make one.
A pitfall
Anyone who asks you to pay before seeing which package is cheaper per unit is charging for division. The comparison on this site is free. There is no affiliate link.
Do this next
Checked steps stay on this device. They are not sent.
Sources
This uses only the numbers you type.
A question, after the result
Should the largest type on a grocery tag be the price per unit, or the amount due?
Try the tool. Compare two packages by the footnote, not by the big price. That line does not include your numbers.