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Unit Price Calculator

Table of contents

What is the unit price?When to use the price per unit calculatorHow do I calculate the unit price?How do I calculate unit price for multi-item packages?Compare items with different units - bulk vs. a bottle of peanutsCompare multi-item packages – soda cans vs. soda bottlesUnlimited uses for the unit price calculatorFAQs

Our unit price calculator is the ultimate shopping calculator. Compare two items and get the best deal!

You've come to the right place if you need a:

  • Price per ounce calculator;
  • Price per pound calculator;
  • Price per item calculator;
  • and much more!

With the unit price calculator, you can compare items with different prices per pound, price per ounce, or any other weight or volume unit.

You can also compare multi-item packages with different weights or volumes, like a 6-pack of soda cans vs. bottles or half a dozen eggs vs. a dozen.

Read on to learn how to calculate unit price, how to calculate the price per unit, what is the unit price formula, and a few real-life examples.

What is the unit price?

The unit price is the cost per ounce, per pound, per kilogram, per liter, or other units of weight or volume of an item you want to buy.

For example, let's say you're hungry for pancakes and need to buy some flour. In the shop, you have two choices: a smaller package – $1 for 1 kg, and a larger one – $1.35 for 1.5 kg. You'd need to consider the unit price to know which is a better buy.

Thanks to our price per unit calculator, you know that the unit price for the smaller package is $1/kg, while for the larger package, it is $0.90/kg.

When you compare two unit prices, you can easily calculate how much you save compared to the item sold at the higher price - in our example: $0.10 per kg.

To calculate the price after taxes, check out the sales tax calculator.

If you want to know how much you can save from an advertised discount, you might want to check out the discount calculator to check if that deal is really a steal!

When to use the price per unit calculator

In some countries and stores, the price per quantity information is provided on the price sticker, so if you take a closer look, you may not need this unit price calculator at all.

Still, you might find yourself in a situation where:

  • The unit price is not listed;
  • The units do not match (e.g., price per pound vs. price per ounce); or
  • You want to compare packages containing different-sized items, like cans and bottles.

For these cases and more, the cost-per-unit calculator comes in very handy!

How do I calculate the unit price?

You can calculate the unit price using the unit price formula. Divide the item's total price by the number of units of the item:

unit price = total price / no. of units.

For example, if you were eying a 3 L bottle of orange juice listed at $3.99, you would calculate the unit price as:

$3.99 / 3 L = $1.33 per L

If you then see a 2 L bottle of juice for $3.00, you can compare it to the first bottle by determining the unit price:

#3.00 / 2 L = $1.50 per L

Since $1.33/L is less than $1.50/L, we know that the 3 L bottle of juice is a better deal because it has a lower unit price, even though it has a higher price per bottle.

Using this same formula, you now also know how to calculate price per ounce, price per pound, and more.

A word of caution:

Be wary of buying perishable food in huge quantities, even if the unit price is less. If the food ends up expiring before you can use it, it is not a good deal at all!

How do I calculate unit price for multi-item packages?

For a package with multiple items, the unit price formula reads:

unit price = total price / no. of items.

For example, you can compare a dozen eggs for $2.99 and an 18-egg package for $3.50 if you use the unit price calculator in Items mode. The calculator quickly determines that an 18-egg package is cheaper by $0.05/egg.

💡 For comparing packages where you only know the weight or volume of each item (e.g., a pack of soda cans vs. a pack of soda bottles), the unit price formula is slightly modified. For weight, it would be:

unit price = total price / (weight per item * no. of items)

Compare items with different units - bulk vs. a bottle of peanuts

There are many cases where the units of two items do not match. For example, peanut snacks can come in a 16 oz package for $2.44, while bulk peanuts might be listed as $2.99/lb.

To use the unit price calculator, set the Type of calculation to Weight and follow these steps:

Option A – Bottle of peanuts

  1. Set the Weight to 16 oz.
  2. Set the Cost to $2.44.
  3. Read the price per ounce as $0.15/oz.
  4. To gain a better grasp of the price comparisons, we can convert weight units of Option A from oz to lbs: $2.44/lb.

Option B – Bulk peanuts

We know from the label that the unit price was 2.99/lb so:

  1. Set the Weight to 1 lb.
  2. Set the Cost to $2.99.
  3. Note the unit price now reads $2.99/lb.

What a surprise! The cost per ounce calculator tells us that Option A (peanuts in a pack) is cheaper. You save $0.55 per pound!

Compare multi-item packages – soda cans vs. soda bottles

While shopping, you might like to compare a 6-pack of soda cans vs. a large 2-L bottle. Which one is cheaper?

We read the label and find that in the 6-pack, each can contains 7.5 fluid oz, and the whole pack costs $2.50.

We read the label on the 2-L bottle and see the total cost is $1.79.

To use the unit price calculator, set the Type of calculation to Items with volume and follow these steps:

Option A – Cans

  1. Set the Number of items to 6.
  2. Set the Volume to 7.5 US fl oz.
  3. Set the Cost to $2.50.

Option B – Bottle

  1. Set the Number of items to 1.
  2. Set the Volume to 2 liters.
  3. Set the Cost to $1.79.

The unit price calculator tells us that Option B, the bottle, is cheaper. You save $0.98 per liter! Amazing!

Now that you've worked hard to save on soft drinks, why not use our chilled drink calculator to learn how to chill your drinks to the perfect temperature.

Unlimited uses for the unit price calculator

You can use the price per unit calculator to compare many more items, including:

  • Bulk vs. prepackaged foods;
  • Loose onions vs. a bag of onions;
  • Tomato sauce in a can vs. a jar;
  • Cans vs. bottles of beverages;
  • Large vs. small chocolate bars in packs;
  • Canned fish vs. fresh fish;
  • And much, much more!

Now that you know how to calculate unit price, price per ounce, and price per pound, you can use the unit price calculator to save a lot of money!

FAQs

What is the unit price of a coke if a 12-pack costs $6?

4 cents. To determine the unit value, we need to:

  1. Recall the formula for unit price:

    unit price = total price / (vol per item × no. of items).

  2. Gather the data:

    • Total price is $6;
    • Each can is 12 fl oz (vol per item); and
    • There are 12 cans (no. of items)
  3. Plug in the data into the formula:

    unit price = $6 / (12 fl oz × 12) = $0.0416.

  4. In words: one fl oz of coke costs a little bit more than four cents.

Option A

Option B

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