What’s a good price for laundry detergent?

How to land in the good-price band

The bottle size is a decoy — cost per load is the number, and it swings 3× between the same brand’s formats. The count of loads is printed on the front; divide by it.

• •Divide price by the load count on the label, not the fl oz. A “concentrated” bottle does more loads per ounce, so the smaller bottle can be cheaper per wash — the ounces lie, the load count doesn’t.
• •Pods are the most expensive way to wash, and powder is not the cheapest — liquid is. Across what we track the medians run about $0.16 a load for liquid, $0.22 for powder and $0.26 for pods: you pay roughly 60% more per wash for the dissolvable film and the dosing convenience. Half the folk wisdom holds (pods are dear), half doesn’t (powder isn’t the bargain).
• •But format is still not the biggest lever — pack size is. Liquid alone spans $0.06 to $0.30 a load, so the spread *inside* one format is wider than the gap *between* formats. Pick the format you actually like, then win the money on the box size.
• •Buy the largest box/bottle you’ll use within ~6 months. Per-load cost drops with size, and detergent keeps fine sealed — the bulk box is the biggest lever after format.
• •Store brands (Amazon, Kirkland, Great Value) run ~$0.10–0.15/load vs $0.25–0.40 for premium pods — same clean for everyday loads.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good price for laundry detergent?

A good price for laundry detergent is under $0.19/load; around $0.22/load is typical, and above $0.29/load you're overpaying. The cheapest we track right now is $0.080/load, the priciest $0.66/load — across 45 tracked products, as of July 2026. Prices re-checked continuously.

How much does laundry detergent cost per load?

Across 45 tracked products, laundry detergent costs a median of $0.22/load, ranging from $0.080 to $0.66/load.

How is cost per load calculated?

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