---
title: "Is Ozempic or Mounjaro Cheaper? Cost, Insurance & Savings (2026)"
description: "Ozempic and Mounjaro both list around $1,000–$1,100/month. With commercial insurance plus a manufacturer savings card, both can drop to about $25/month. Here's how the cost compares."
canonical: https://glpeak.ai/answers/ozempic-vs-mounjaro-cost
reviewer: Sydney Duong, RD, GLPeak Clinical Lead
last_updated: 2026-06-17
category: cost
---

# Is Ozempic or Mounjaro Cheaper? Cost, Insurance & Savings (2026)

> **Quick answer:** At list price, Ozempic and Mounjaro both run roughly $1,000–$1,100/month. With commercial insurance that covers them plus the manufacturer savings cards, both can drop to about $25/month. Without insurance, both stay close to list price — unlike the weight-loss brands (Zepbound, Wegovy), the diabetes brands have no low-cost self-pay vial program, so the deciding factor is usually which one your plan covers.

## List price vs. what you actually pay

Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide) both carry a list price of roughly $1,000–$1,100/month as of 2026. Almost nobody pays the sticker, though — what you pay is driven by your insurance and the manufacturer savings card, not the list price.

Both are FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes, which is what makes insurance coverage (and the low copays below) realistic — coverage for diabetes is far more common than for weight management.

## Insurance + savings card path

If you have commercial (non-government) insurance that covers the drug for type 2 diabetes, the manufacturer savings cards bring both to roughly $25/month — Ozempic via NovoCare, Mounjaro via the Lilly savings card.

Prior authorization usually requires a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. The deciding factor between the two is typically which one your specific plan's formulary prefers.

## Without insurance (cash pay)

- Both stay close to list price (~$1,000–$1,100/month) without coverage.
- Neither diabetes brand has the discounted self-pay vial program that the weight-loss brands (Zepbound, Wegovy) offer.
- Compounded tirzepatide or semaglutide can be cheaper, but carries separate safety and legality considerations — see the compounded vs brand guide.

## Which to ask your prescriber about

If your plan covers one and not the other: take the covered one and use its savings card — that single factor usually outweighs everything else.

If outcomes matter most: tirzepatide (Mounjaro) showed greater A1c and weight reduction than semaglutide (Ozempic) in the head-to-head SURPASS-2 trial.

If you don't have coverage: cost is similar between the two, so the choice is clinical rather than financial.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ozempic or Mounjaro cheaper without insurance?

They're similar. Without insurance, both run roughly $1,000–$1,100/month, close to list price, and neither has a discounted self-pay vial program like the weight-loss brands. So cash price isn't usually the deciding factor between them.

### Do the Ozempic and Mounjaro savings cards work the same way?

Broadly, yes. Both require commercial insurance (not Medicare or Medicaid) and bring covered patients to roughly $25/month. Ozempic uses the NovoCare savings card; Mounjaro uses the Lilly savings card. Exact terms and caps change, so check the current card before relying on a number.

### Does Medicare cover Ozempic or Mounjaro?

Medicare Part D can cover both for type 2 diabetes (unlike weight-loss use, which is generally excluded). However, manufacturer savings cards can't be used with government insurance, so your out-of-pocket cost depends on your plan's formulary tier.

## References

- [NovoCare — Ozempic cost & savings](https://www.novocare.com/)
- [Mounjaro — savings & resources](https://www.mounjaro.com/)

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_Educational only — not medical advice._