Tirzepatide Cost: What It Actually Comes To
Tirzepatide is sold by the vial, so the headline price tells you less than the cost per milligram does. A 5mg vial and a 120mg vial differ by a factor of 24 in material but only about 7x in price. This page breaks the cost down both ways, current as of September 2026.
These are prices for tirzepatide supplied for laboratory research use, not for a prescription product. For the approved dose schedules and trial data see tirzepatide dosing.
Tirzepatide price per vial
| Vial size | Price | Cost per mg |
|---|---|---|
| 5mg | $28 | $5.60 |
| 10mg | $44 | $4.40 |
| 15mg | $59 | $3.93 |
| 20mg | $73 | $3.65 |
| 30mg | $93 | $3.10 |
| 60mg | $140 | $2.33 |
| 120mg | $199 | $1.66 |
Cost per milligram falls by more than two thirds moving from the 5mg vial to the 120mg vial. That is the single biggest lever on what tirzepatide costs.
Tirzepatide cost in bulk
Wholesale kits of 10 vials are priced about 20% below the equivalent single-vial cost, which pushes the cost per milligram down further:
| Kit | Kit price | Per vial | Cost per mg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 × 5mg | $220 | $22.00 | $4.40 |
| 10 × 10mg | $352 | $35.20 | $3.52 |
| 10 × 15mg | $472 | $47.20 | $3.15 |
| 10 × 20mg | $580 | $58.00 | $2.90 |
| 10 × 30mg | $740 | $74.00 | $2.47 |
| 10 × 40mg | $880 | $88.00 | $2.20 |
| 10 × 50mg | $1,000 | $100.00 | $2.00 |
| 10 × 60mg | $1,120 | $112.00 | $1.87 |
| 10 × 120mg | $1,592 | $159.20 | $1.33 |
At the bottom of that table tirzepatide costs $1.33 per milligram, against $5.60 for a single 5mg vial — a 76% difference for the identical compound. Full range on the bulk tirzepatide listing.
Tirzepatide cost per month
Because material is priced per milligram, monthly cost depends entirely on how much is used. At the maintenance doses in the approved label — 5mg, 10mg and 15mg weekly — a four-week period represents 20mg, 40mg and 60mg of material respectively.
At the single 10mg vial rate ($4.40/mg) that is roughly $88, $176 and $264 of material per four weeks. At the bulk 120mg kit rate ($1.33/mg) it falls to roughly $27, $53 and $80. These are material costs only, for reference; they are not a recommendation to use any quantity.
How tirzepatide compares on cost
Tirzepatide sits in the middle of the three major GLP-1 research compounds per milligram — above semaglutide, well below retatrutide:
| Compound | 10mg vial | Cost per mg | Receptor targets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semaglutide | $35 | $3.50 | GLP-1 |
| Tirzepatide | $44 | $4.40 | GLP-1 + GIP |
| Retatrutide | $69 | $6.90 | GLP-1 + GIP + glucagon |
Per milligram tirzepatide runs about 26% above semaglutide and about 36% below retatrutide. Dose levels differ between the three compounds, so cost per milligram is not the same as cost per unit of effect.
What drives the price
- Vial size. The largest single lever — cost per mg falls by more than two thirds from 5mg to 120mg.
- Order quantity. Wholesale kits of 10 are priced about 20% under the single-vial rate.
- Supply. Tirzepatide is the highest-turnover compound in this category, and supply is correspondingly steadier than retatrutide.
- Testing. Every lot here is HPLC and mass-spectrometry verified before release, which is a real cost and the thing to check before comparing any two quoted prices.
Tirzepatide Cost — Frequently Asked Questions
How much does tirzepatide cost?
From $28 for a 5mg vial up to $199 for a 120mg vial, which works out to $5.60 down to $1.66 per milligram. Wholesale kits of 10 vials bring it as low as $1.33 per milligram.
What is the cheapest way to buy tirzepatide?
Cost per milligram falls with both vial size and order quantity, so the lowest unit cost is a wholesale kit of the largest vial size — currently $1.33 per milligram.
Why does tirzepatide cost more than semaglutide?
Tirzepatide is a dual GIP/GLP-1 agonist with a more involved synthesis. Per milligram it runs about 26% above semaglutide.
Is tirzepatide covered by insurance?
The prescription products Mounjaro and Zepbound may be, depending on the plan and indication. Material supplied here is not a prescription product — it is supplied for laboratory research use only and is not covered by insurance.
Prices current as of September 2026 and subject to change. All products are supplied for laboratory research use only and are not for human consumption.