If your doctor has prescribed you Cialis for erectile dysfunction (ED) or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), you’re probably wondering how much you’ll need to pay for it. What is the current Cialis price? Is it an expensive medication? How can you find the best price for Cialis for you?
In this article, we explain how the Cialis cost varies depending on whether your insurance covers it or not. In addition, we compare the price of Cialis with those of other similar drugs, and give you tips on how to find a reputable Cialis coupon.
How Much Does Cialis Cost? Factors and Prices
According to a 2016 article by CBS News, just one Cialis pill costs approximately $50 without health insurance. While this isn’t an exact price, Cialis is clearly not a cheap medication, especially for those without insurance.
But what other factors affect the Cialis price? Ultimately, how much you pay for your prescription depends on three main factors:
- Your health insurance
- The pharmacy you go to
- The dosage and quantity
Health Insurance
We’ll look at insurance first since this is arguably the biggest factor that determines the price you’ll pay for your Cialis prescription.
In general, the Cialis cost will be higher if you don’t have health insurance, or if your insurance doesn’t cover your prescription. Unfortunately, most health insurance plans (including Medicare) don’t cover prescription medications for ED. As a result, most people will have to pay around $50 per Cialis pill (as stated previously).
If, however, your insurance does cover Cialis, you can usually expect to pay far less than $50 per pill. The exact price you’ll pay will depend on your insurance plan and whether you’ve met your prescription deductible or not (if your plan has a deductible, that is).
If you haven’t met your prescription deductible, you’ll likely need to pay the full cost of Cialis (about $50 per pill).
If you’ve met your deductible, however, you’ll likely only pay a co-pay for your Cialis. Again, how much you pay will depend on your insurance plan—specifically, how much your co-pays are for prescription drugs. With prescriptions, co-pays are typically fixed amounts. For example, an insurance plan could have a co-pay of $30 for a one-month supply of Cialis, coming out to about $1 per pill.
Of course, these are all just estimates. To figure out how much you’ll pay for your Cialis prescription, or to see whether your insurance covers Cialis, contact your health insurance provider.
Pharmacy
Another factor that affects the Cialis price is the pharmacy you choose to go to. This is because different pharmacies set different prices for prescription drugs.
According to AccessRx, here are the average costs (without insurance) of a bottle of 10 20-mg Cialis pills at three major pharmacies:
- Walmart: $693.50 ($34.68 per 10-mg dose)
- CVS: $744.99 ($37.25 per 10-mg dose)
- Walgreens: $777.59 ($38.88 per 10-mg dose)
As you can see, certain pharmacies offer slightly lower prices for Cialis if you’re paying for it in full (that is, without insurance or before your prescription deductible has been met).
Here is a more detailed chart of estimated Cialis prices at several pharmacies. This chart dates back to around 2015, so actual prices today are likely a little higher than those below.
| Pharmacy | Dosage | Price for 30 Tablets | Price per Tablet |
| CVS | 5 mg | $150.91 | $5.03 |
| 10 mg | $918.18 | $30.61 | |
| 20 mg | $924.12 | $30.81 | |
| Kmart | 5 mg | $149.24 | $4.97 |
| 10 mg | $885.14 | $29.50 | |
| 20 mg | $885.14 | $29.50 | |
| Kroger | 5 mg | $150.05 | $5.00 |
| 10 mg | $885.95 | $29.53 | |
| 20 mg | $885.95 | $29.53 | |
| Publix | 5 mg | $149.55 | $4.99 |
| 10 mg | $885.45 | $29.52 | |
| 20 mg | $885.45 | $29.52 | |
| Rite Aid | 5 mg | $152.60 | $5.09 |
| 10 mg | $949.95 | $31.67 | |
| 20 mg | $949.95 | $31.67 | |
| Target | 5 mg | $150.05 | $5.00 |
| 10 mg | $885.95 | $29.53 | |
| 20 mg | $885.95 | $29.53 | |
| Walgreens | 5 mg | $144.95 + annual fee | $4.83 |
| 10 mg | $829.95 + annual fee | $27.67 | |
| 20 mg | $931.32 | $31.04 | |
| Walmart | 5 mg | $152.39 | $5.08 |
| 10 mg | $903.08 | $30.10 | |
| 20 mg | $923.70 | $30.79 |
Dosage and Quantity
Lastly, the dosage and quantity you take of Cialis can affect how much you pay.
At present, four doses of Cialis are available for prescription:
- 2.5 mg
- 5 mg
- 10 mg
- 20 mg
Typically, the higher the dose, the higher the price. So you can expect a bottle of 20-mg pills to cost more than a bottle of 2.5-mg pills. At the same time, you’ll usually pay less per pill the more pills you buy at once (think of this as buying in bulk).
Drugs.com lists estimated prices (based on their discount card) for different combinations of Cialis dosages and quantities. Here, we can see that patients typically pay less for lower dosages: a 30-pill bottle, for instance, costs only $330 for 5-mg pills but as much as $1,900 for 10-mg pills.
We can also see that Cialis tends to cost less per pill when bought in higher quantities. For example, for 20-mg pills, you’d pay $106 per pill if buying five at once, but as little as $13 per pill if buying 10 at once.
Again, these prices can vary depending on what pharmacy you go to and when you buy the pills (in recent years, the Cialis cost has risen sharply).
How to Get a Cialis Coupon or Discount
You can usually find a Cialis coupon or discount online or through your pharmacy.
Unfortunately, many Cialis coupons cannot be used with health insurance plans. Therefore, if your insurance covers Cialis but you’d still like to bring down the cost, look for coupons you can use specifically with your insurance.
To find coupons online, search for phrases like “Cialis coupon” or “Cialis discount” on Google. Try to stick with reputable coupon websites. You shouldn’t need to do anything special for most coupons; usually, you can just print one out for free and then take it to your pharmacy.
One solid website is GoodRx, which offers tons of free Cialis coupons. Many of these coupons knock off a decent sum—often in the range of $20-$100 per bottle.
Another option is to download the free Drugs.com discount card, which can get you the Cialis rates shown here at most pharmacies.
Finally, be sure to check the official Cialis website to see whether any manufacturer coupons or free trials are available.
Cialis Price: How Does It Compare?
Cialis isn’t the only prescription drug out there used for ED. Other popular drugs include Viagra, Levitra, and Stendra. But how does the Cialis price compare with the costs of these medications?
The chart below lists estimated out-of-pocket price ranges for Viagra, Staxyn, Levitra, and Cialis:
| Drug Name | What CBS Says | What AccessRx Says | What Drugs.com Says* |
| Viagra | About $50 per pill | CVS: $69.70 per 100-mg pill
Walgreens: $72.10 per 100-mg pill Walmart: $69.11 per 100-mg pill |
$64.52 per 25-mg pill in bottle of 30 |
| Levitra | — | CVS: $25.15-$28.10 per 10-mg pill
Walgreens: $25-$25.20 per 10-mg pill Walmart: $25.25-$28.25 per 10-mg pill |
$51.48 per 20-mg pill in bottle of 30 |
| Stendra | — | — | $65.09 per 200-mg pill in bottle of 30 |
| Cialis | About $50 per pill | CVS: $37.25 per 20-mg pill
Walgreens: $38.88 per 20-mg pill Walmart: $34.68 per 20-mg pill |
$27.46-$63.72 per 20-mg pill in bottle of 30 |
*All prices are based on the Drugs.com discount card.
As you can see, it’s difficult to tell what ED drug is cheapest since there are so many factors to take into consideration, from pharmacy to dosage and quantity.
According to this chart, both Cialis and Levitra appear to be the two cheapest ED drugs available. Cialis runs as cheaply as $27.46 per 20-mg pill, while Levitra runs at $51.48 per pill.
By contrast, Viagra tops the list with prices per pill consistently in the $60-$70 range. Stendra, too, looks to be a more expensive brand, costing about $65 per 200-mg pill. It should be noted, though, that these two drugs have far higher dosages (100 or 200 mg) than Cialis and Levitra do.
Conclusion: The Best Price for Cialis
All in all, the Cialis cost for you can vary significantly depending on multiple factors. Once again, the three main factors are health insurance, pharmacy, and dosage/quantity.
In general, you’ll get the best price for Cialis if it’s covered by your insurance and if you’ve already met your prescription deductible (if you have one). Depending on your insurance plan, your co-pay could be as low as one or a few dollars per pill—that’s a big difference compared to $50 per pill, or the approximate Cialis cost without insurance.
Even if your insurance doesn’t cover Cialis, you can still get lower prices by using coupons from medical websites, coupon websites, and the official Cialis website (which might offer manufacturer coupons or free trials). Be aware that many Cialis coupons cannot be used with insurance plans.
You can also save money by going to pharmacies that offer lower prices for Cialis, and by opting for bigger bottles of Cialis and/or lower dosages.
Finally, Cialis is typically one of the cheapest ED drugs, on par with Levitra and notably less expensive than Viagra. So you can rest assured you’re paying a reasonable price!