Paying cash vs using insurance
How much does omeprazole cost?
Prilosec · a delayed-release acid reducer (PPI). Example fill: 90 × omeprazole dr 20 mg capsule.
Omeprazole is generic Prilosec. There are two different price questions. Prescription delayed-release 20 mg capsules are cheap for pharmacies to buy; cash for 90 capsules can beat a high Rx copay. OTC 20 mg is a drugstore shelf price, not an insurance fill. Do not add them together, and do not take Rx and OTC at once.
If you have a prescription and a $40-plus copay, ask the pharmacy to quote cash for 90 capsules before they bill insurance. Mail and some grocery counters are often low. 10 mg, 40 mg, orally disintegrating tablets, and omeprazole-with-bicarbonate packs are other products — some cost more. Price the one on the label.
If you already buy Prilosec OTC and that is what you are supposed to take, compare store brands on the shelf. This page is for people holding an Rx and a copay. How long to stay on a PPI, and interactions (including with some blood thinners), are clinician questions. A cheap 90-day cash price is not a reason to stay on omeprazole forever.
See cash vs copay, Cost Plus vs a chain, and RxCompare.app.
Estimated cash for 90 tablets or capsules
If your copay is $47, paying about $5.86 cash instead would save about $41.14 on this 90-day fill — if the register matches. These are estimates from public pharmacy acquisition cost (CMS NADAC as of 2026-09-02), not a coupon and not a guaranteed price. The coupon column is an estimate for chain cash only.
| Where you might fill | Est. cash | Est. chain coupon |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Plus · often cheapest | $5.86 | — |
| Costco | $8.36 | — |
| Amazon Pharmacy | $8.49 | — |
| Stop & Shop | $9.86 | — |
| Walmart | $13.24 | $11.65 |
| CVS | $17.98 | $15.82 |
| Walgreens | $18.23 | $16.04 |
Other strengths of omeprazole
Price the strength on your bottle. These are different products.
- omeprazole dr 10 mg capsule
- omeprazole dr 20 mg odt
- omeprazole dr 20 mg tablet
- omeprazole dr 40 mg capsule
- omeprazole mag dr 20 mg cap
- omeprazole mag dr 20 mg tablet
- omeprazole mag dr 20.6 mg cap
- omeprazole-bicarb 20-1,100 cap
FAQ
Should I just buy omeprazole OTC?
If OTC is what you were told to take, compare shelf prices. If you have a prescription and a copay, compare Rx cash to that copay. Do not take both.
Is 40 mg twice the price of 20 mg?
Not exactly. It is a different product. Get a price for 40 mg if that is the prescription. Do not double 20 mg capsules unless written that way.