What’s a good price for batteries?

How to land in the good-price band

Battery pricing is pack-size theatre: the same AA can cost 3× more per cell in a 4-pack than in a 48-pack. Cost per battery is the only number that ranks them — and we only rank alkaline, because comparing a single-use alkaline against a lithium or rechargeable on price-per-cell is meaningless.

• •Buy the biggest pack you will use inside ~5 years. Per-battery cost falls steeply with count (a 48-pack routinely beats a 4-pack by 3×), and alkalines keep for a decade in a cool drawer — the single biggest lever here.
• •The checkout 4-pack is the most expensive way to buy a battery. It exists for the person who ran out; if you plan even slightly, never buy one.
• •Store brands (Amazon Basics, Kirkland) run ~$0.20–0.30 per cell vs $0.45–0.75 for name brands and carry the same alkaline chemistry. For remotes, clocks and toys the difference is nothing.
• •Lithium (e.g. Energizer Ultimate) costs ~3× per cell but lasts far longer in high-drain gear — cameras, game controllers, outdoor sensors in cold. That is a cost-per-hour win, not a cost-per-battery one, which is why we keep it out of this ranking.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good price for batteries?

A good price for batteries is under $0.62/battery; around $0.94/battery is typical, and above $1.63/battery you're overpaying. The cheapest we track right now is $0.25/battery, the priciest $6.00/battery — across 101 tracked products, as of July 2026. Prices re-checked continuously.

How much does batteries cost per battery?

Across 101 tracked products, batteries costs a median of $0.94/battery, ranging from $0.25 to $6.00/battery.

How is cost per battery calculated?

Price ÷ the number of batterys in the pack. Comparing per battery lets a bulk pack and a small one line up on the same scale, so you see true value instead of sticker price.