CalcOak

Unit Price Comparison: work out which package size is actually the better deal

Fill in a price and quantity for at least two products to compare them.

How to use this tool

Add one row per product or package size. Type the shelf price, the quantity printed on the label and pick its unit; if it is a multipack, put the number of packs in the last column. As soon as two rows are complete the table ranks them from cheapest to most expensive per unit and shows how much more each one costs compared with the best option. Use the "show price per" menu to switch between per 100 g, per kg, per ounce, per litre, per item and so on; the ranking does not change, only the numbers you read.

Mixed units are fine. A 1.5 lb tub and a 750 g tub are both converted to grams before the price is divided, so the comparison is exact rather than a rough guess. If you enter a weight for one product and a volume for another the tool will warn you rather than produce a meaningless number.

Why use this instead of doing it in your head

Supermarket unit pricing is helpful when it is there, but it is often missing, printed in a different unit on neighbouring shelves, or absent altogether from online listings and warehouse stores. Comparing 12 oz to 340 g to 1 lb while standing in an aisle is exactly the kind of arithmetic people get wrong, and the "big pack is always cheaper" assumption fails more often than you would expect. Promotions on the small size, shrinkflation on the large one and multipack pricing all muddy the picture.

This calculator is deliberately quick to use on a phone: two taps to add a row, no account, and it keeps working with no signal once the page has loaded. It also handles counts as well as weights and volumes, so it works just as well for nappies, batteries and coffee pods as it does for rice and washing-up liquid.

Frequently asked questions

How is unit price calculated?+

Unit price is simply the total price divided by the quantity, expressed per a convenient unit such as 100 grams, one litre or one item. This tool converts every product to the same base unit first, so a 12 oz bag and a 500 g bag are compared fairly before the price is divided.

Can I compare products sold in different units?+

Yes, as long as they measure the same kind of thing. Grams, kilograms, ounces and pounds can all be compared with each other, as can millilitres, litres, fluid ounces and gallons. You cannot compare weight with volume, because the answer would depend on the density of the product.

What does "number of packs" do?+

Some products are sold as a multipack, for example 6 × 330 ml cans for $4.50. Enter 330 as the quantity, ml as the unit and 6 as the number of packs, and the tool works out the total volume before dividing the price.

Is the cheapest per unit always the best buy?+

Not always. A bigger pack is only a saving if you will use it before it spoils or goes stale, and it ties up more money and cupboard space. The tool tells you which option is cheapest per unit and by how much; whether that margin is worth it is your call.

Why do the results show the price per 100 g rather than per gram?+

Per-gram prices are tiny fractions that are hard to read and compare. Retailers in Europe, Australia and many US states show unit prices per 100 g, per kg or per litre for the same reason. You can change the display unit above the results to whichever you prefer.