Vitamin B12: reading price per day
Vitamin B12 cost per serving is the price of the bottle divided by the number of servings inside it, and that figure almost never matches the capsule count on the front. A 60 capsule bottle that asks for 2 a day holds 30 servings, which doubles the real cost per day compared with the number on the shelf.
How to read vitamin B12 cost per serving
Start with the serving size line, not the count. Most labels print something like "2 capsules" in the supplement facts panel, and that's the divisor. A 120 count pack at 2 a day is 60 servings, not 120.
Once you have servings, the rest is one division. Sixty servings at $24 is $0.40 a day. The same pack at 1 a day is $0.20. Same product, same price, and the routine is the only thing that changed.
Why the cheapest option often isn't
A 90 count pack for $18 looks like the value pick until you read that it asks for 3 capsules a day. That's 30 servings at $0.60 each, and the 60 count pack at $24 with a 1 capsule serving beats it at $0.40.
I've bought the bigger pack twice on the strength of the shelf price alone, and both times the per day figure was worse. The label was always there. I just read the front instead of the panel.
The dose can quietly drop
Check the per serving amount as well as the count. A reformulation that moves from 1000 mcg to 500 mcg per serving at the same price halves the value while the front of the pack looks identical.
B12 is measured in micrograms, so the figures are small and easy to skim past. Write the number down next to the price and compare the pair rather than the price alone.
Subscriptions and the reorder question
A subscription usually cuts the per order price by somewhere between 10 and 20 percent and removes the reorder decision. If you're taking it daily, that's a real saving on the same arithmetic.
What it doesn't do is change the servings per bottle. Run the division on the discounted price and compare that, because a discount on a badly priced bottle is still a badly priced bottle.
What I keep on my phone
One line per product: price, servings, cost per day. Three numbers, updated when I buy, and it takes 30 seconds at the shelf.
It's the only reason I know my current B12 is $0.31 a day rather than guessing at it. The guess was about 40 percent off in the wrong direction, which is typical when the bottle count does the arguing.
Servings, not capsules. Divide once and the comparison takes care of itself.
The 30 second version at the shelf
Find the serving size. Find the count. Divide. Compare that number with what you already pay rather than with the shelf price next to it.
Two products with the same cost per day are not the same product, so use the division to narrow the field and the label to pick inside it. It's a filter, not a verdict.
One more thing worth writing down is the form. Cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin cost different amounts to produce, so a wide gap in cost per day sometimes reflects the form rather than the value. That's a reason to check, not a reason to assume the cheaper one is worse.
I keep the form and the cost on the same line for exactly that reason. Price alone told me nothing until I knew what I was pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare two bottles?Show answerHide answer
Divide price by servings, then check the servings per day the label asks for.
Is buying larger always cheaper?Show answerHide answer
Usually, but check the per-serving dose has not quietly dropped.
Does subscription change the price?Show answerHide answer
It reduces the per-order figure and removes the reorder decision.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
