Which Pharmacy Offers The Best Discounts on Tadalafil? [Updated for 2023]

Highlights

• eDrugstore’s tracking of competitor prices has found counterintuitive trends in how tadalafil is priced and discounted at brick-and-mortar retailers.

• Finding the best discounts of tadalafil at an in-person pharmacy will depend heavily on which pharmacies are available to you and the time of year.

• Shopping online for your tadalafil can be a competitive option, especially with added benefits such as complimentary virtual medical consultations, assistance with prescriptions, and free shipping.

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For years now, eDrugstore has been tracking our competitors and sharing that data in a monthly series looking at prices across a wide variety of retailers. It helps our customers find the best discounts on all erectile dysfunction medications, including tadalafil. One trend that’s emerged from our data collection is that some brick-and-mortar stores discount tadalafil, the generic form of Cialis, more heavily than others.

It may not be the retailers you expect, though. In fact, our dive into the data has found that who charges the most can be counterintuitive and shows that it pays to compare prices.

Brand-name vs Generic Tadalafil

Generic tadalafil has the exact same active ingredients, in the same doses, as the brand-name Cialis. The only differences are in the inactive ingredients, such as colorings and flavorings, and the advertising budget. Back in 2003 alone, for example, Eli Lilly spent $100 million to ensure everybody knew about their upcoming drug.

The cost of a brand name stands out if you look at industry averages. Tadalafil has been available in a generic form since 2018 as part of a lawsuit settlement. Yet despite this, as of this writing, 20 milligrams of Cialis costs an average of $72 a dose, while 20 milligrams of generic tadalafil costs an average of $8.64 — over eight times as much.

So if you’re looking for the best discounts on tadalafil, it pays to go generic, even in the face of supply chain challenges. But just how much of a price drop can you find? It depends, heavily, on the retailer.

Which Brick-And-Mortar Pharmacy Offers The Best Discounts on Tadalafil (Generic Cialis)?

The best discount on tadalafil comes from Publix, which is 98.9% less, at 85 cents, than Cialis, at $70.23. Costco comes in second with a 98.1% discount, $1.30 compared with $69.30, followed by Walmart, at $2.19 compared with $73.64.

However, just because they have the steepest discounts doesn’t mean they’re the best price. While Publix is indeed the best price overall, Costco is actually beaten out by Stop and Shop, Giant, and Winn-Dixie, all at 97 cents as of this writing, and Rite Aid, at $1.15. Walmart comes in seventh in this race.

So why the dramatic change in prices, and why is tadalafil all over the map in price? There are a few factors driving prices beyond market demand.

Who Owns Whom?

Over the last twenty years, retail pharmacies have consolidated considerably. You’d think that less competition means higher prices, but we’ve found that’s not a hard-and-fast rule.

A good example is Rite Aid, which was purchased by Walgreens in 2015. Walgreens has consistently higher prices for both tadalafil and brand-name Cialis — some of the highest we track — but Rite Aid trends much lower. At the beginning of 2023, Rite-Aid reduced its prices by 50%, a deep discount.

Some companies march in lockstep: We consistently see that Stop and Shop and Giant, both owned by Dutch multinational retailer Ahold Delhaize, have the exact same prices for medication. This is likely due to their having the same supplier and paying the same costs.

And that leads us to another trend.

Buying Power Matters

Brick-and-mortar pharmacies have costs baked into running a physical business that get passed on to you. Chain pharmacies mitigate this with sheer scale, buying drugs in such massive lots that the manufacturer makes it back on volume and giving the pharmacy a lower unit price. It’s not a coincidence that Amazon beats even Publix in a matchup, albeit only by four cents.

This doesn’t automatically translate to the lowest price, though. While both Costco and Walmart have competitive prices among in-person retailers, they’re rarely, if ever, the absolute best price for generic tadalafil. In fact, while Costco has the second best price on brand-name Cialis as of April 2023, it’s beaten out by five other retailers for the best discounts on tadalafil.

This can have its downside. CVS and Walgreens, for example, have had consistently high prices compared to the rest of the market for years. That’s even reflected in their discounts, 75.7% and 79.7%, with only Kroger offering less. It’s likely that their sheer ubiquity, with stores seemingly on every corner and often being the most convenient pharmacy, has something to do with this trend.

Buying Tadalafil Online Is A Better Choice

If you need a consistent price on ED medication, online shopping is often a better choice. eDrugstore, for example, includes a string of benefits when you shop online.

• Complimentary telehealth consultation. Before you buy, you can speak with a licensed doctor about your needs.
• No in-person visit needed. In most cases, our physicians can give you a prescription, so you won’t need to lose time commuting to your doctor’s office or waiting for them to see you.
• Fast delivery. You’ll receive your medication quickly, without having to drive to a pharmacy or wait in line.
• Complimentary pill splitter. Many prescriptions are for 20 milligrams, but many men need only 10. We provide a pill splitter to help you get the right dose for your needs, every time.
• Discretion. One of the most difficult aspects of ED medication for many men is going to see a pharmacist, somebody they might know personally, to fulfill their prescription. Shopping online helps you get past this awkwardness and get the medication you need. And with HIPAA and our privacy policy, you won’t have to worry about your purchase history becoming public or fed to an algorithm.

See what ordering ED medication online can do for you. Browse our erectile dysfunction page and place your order with confidence. When you shop at eDrugstore, virtual health visits and shipping are always free.