How much do Wegovy, Zepbound and the GLP‑1 pills cost without insurance in the US?

What do the makers charge if you pay cash?

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly publish monthly self-pay prices for every weight-loss GLP‑1: $149 to $449 a month, depending on the medicine and the dose.^1,2,3

A self-pay or cash price is what you pay with no insurance involved. You still need a prescription. The price usually rises as your dose goes up.

Grouped by medicine, not ranked. A month is 4 weekly doses (28 days) or 30 tablets. Prices as published by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, checked Oct 12, 2026.^1,2

The 45-day rule matters. Lilly’s higher-dose Zepbound price of $449 depends on refilling within 45 days of your last delivery. Miss it and the regular $699 price applies at 10 mg and above.²

Why is the list price so much higher?

The list price is what a maker charges wholesalers before insurer discounts: $1,349 a month for Wegovy, $1,087 for Zepbound and $1,028 for Ozempic.⁷

The government price site TrumpRx shows these as each drug’s “Original Price”, next to the lower cash price.⁷ Few people pay the list price itself. Insurers negotiate rebates, and cash buyers use the makers’ lower self-pay prices.

The list price still matters if you have insurance with a deductible or coinsurance, because your share can be worked out from it. That is the reason Novo Nordisk gave for its cut. From January 1, 2027, Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus will list at $675 a month, about 50% less for Wegovy and 35% less for Ozempic.⁴

Novo Nordisk said the change does “not have an impact on direct-to-patient, self-pay prices”.⁴ Our post on where GLP‑1 cash prices really come from explains the makers’ own programs and the government price site.

What does a year cost at cash prices?

Paying cash, a year of Wegovy pens costs about $4,237 for a new patient, and a year of Zepbound climbing to 15 mg about $5,637.^1,2

A year of weekly doses is 13 four-week fills, not 12. A year of daily pills is about 12 bottles of 30. Wegovy pens step up every 4 weeks to 2.4 mg by week 17.⁸ Zepbound starts at 2.5 mg and goes up 2.5 mg at a time, after at least 4 weeks on each dose.⁹

Our arithmetic at the prices checked on Oct 12, 2026. Zepbound to 15 mg = $299 + $399 + 11 × $449, with every refill inside 45 days. Wegovy pill = $149 + $199 + 10 × $299. Doctor visits, lab tests and shipping are left out.

Two of the offers end on December 31, 2026: Wegovy’s $199 starter fills and Foundayo’s lower 2.5 and 5.5 mg prices.^1,3 A year that starts now runs past that date, so check the price again before each new step.

At the list price, 13 Wegovy fills would come to $17,537.⁷ Our stopping guide explains why many people budget in years, not months.

What about Ozempic and Mounjaro?

Ozempic and Mounjaro are the diabetes brands of semaglutide and tirzepatide; their self-pay prices are $199 to $499 a month.^13,14

Ozempic contains the same medicine as Wegovy, semaglutide, at lower doses. The FDA approved it for type 2 diabetes, not for weight loss.⁵ Mounjaro contains tirzepatide, the medicine in Zepbound, and is also approved for type 2 diabetes.⁶

• Ozempic pen: $199 a month for the first 2 fills of 0.25 or 0.5 mg for new patients, through Dec 31, 2026. Then $349 at 0.25 to 1 mg and $499 at 2 mg.¹³
• Mounjaro pen: $499 a month at every dose.¹⁴

A doctor can prescribe a medicine for a use that isn’t on its label (off-label use). Makers can’t advertise those uses. Whether that suits you is a question for your prescriber. Our guide to the medicines sets out which brand is approved for what.

Is paying cash ever better than using insurance?

It depends on your plan: makers’ savings cards can bring an insured copay down to $25, but they exclude Medicare and Medicaid, and cash payments may not count toward your deductible.^1,15,16

If your plan covers it, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy savings card means you “pay as little as $25”, with savings capped at $100 a month.¹ Lilly’s card offers “as little as $25” for a Zepbound pen fill, up to $1,300 a year.¹⁵ Getting the plan to agree usually needs a prior authorization: see how prior authorization works.

If you have Medicare or Medicaid, the savings cards don’t apply. Novo Nordisk’s terms say “Government beneficiaries excluded”.¹ Medicare’s own GLP‑1 Bridge charges $50 a month to those who meet its rules.¹⁷

If you pay cash while insured, payments through TrumpRx don’t count toward your deductible, one expert told Managed Healthcare Executive.¹⁶ Ask your plan before you choose.

Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are sold for less by some sellers. They are not FDA-approved, and we don’t list their prices: see compounded GLP‑1s in 2026.¹⁸

Questions people ask

How we researched this

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