Consumer Health Product Prices: Electrolyte Powder Gap
On June 25, consumer health product prices split widest in electrolyte powder: it ranged 100.4% between markets, while acetaminophen and antacids stayed below 8%.
Consumer health product prices split widest on the electrolyte powder shelf in CostInflation’s June 25 data. It ranged from $11.51 in Clayton, Missouri to $23.08 in West San Antonio, Texas, a 100.4% city difference.
The broader Consumer Health Retail Goods Inflation basket did not split nearly as far. It ranged from $127.59 in East St. Louis, Illinois to $140.81 in West San Antonio, about 10.4%.
That contrast is the point: the health shelf did not move as one block. Hydration powder, supplements, and bandages created much larger market differences than acetaminophen or chewable antacids. The comparison covers retail prices for store-bought goods in CostInflation’s 12 published market areas, so the focus is shelf-price difference by product type.
Consumer health product prices split most in electrolyte powder
Electrolyte powder was the only product in this health basket where the highest market was roughly double the lowest market.
| Product | Lowest market | Highest market | City range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrolyte powder | Clayton, $11.51 | West San Antonio, $23.08 | 100.4% |
| Vitamin D supplements | North Jackson, $10.07 | Houston, $13.97 | 38.7% |
| Adhesive bandages | West San Antonio, $14.16 | New York, $19.01 | 34.3% |
| Magnesium supplements | East St. Louis, $16.99 | North Jackson, $21.23 | 25.0% |
| Ibuprofen | Clayton, $4.10 | South Philadelphia, $5.07 | 23.7% |
| Melatonin supplements | East St. Louis, $6.58 | Westside Jacksonville, $8.13 | 23.6% |
| Multivitamins | New York, $11.19 | Los Angeles, $13.18 | 17.8% |
| Allergy medicine | North Jackson, $17.96 | South Philadelphia, $21.01 | 17.0% |
| Thermometers | Westside Jacksonville, $15.20 | South Philadelphia, $17.40 | 14.5% |
| Acetaminophen | Los Angeles, $4.95 | Chicago, $5.34 | 7.9% |
| Chewable antacids | Chicago, $7.40 | Westside Jacksonville, $7.87 | 6.4% |
The product spread matters because a shopper can see a quiet basket and still feel a sharper difference in a specific aisle. Electrolyte powder was the sharpest example on June 25, followed by vitamin D supplements and adhesive bandages.
Pain relief and antacids looked tighter
The tighter end of the table came from common over-the-counter medicine categories. Acetaminophen ranged 7.9% between markets, and chewable antacids ranged 6.4%.
That does not make those items cheap everywhere. It means their June 25 market spread was much narrower than electrolyte powder, vitamin D, or bandages in the public CostInflation series.
The middle of the list also matters. Ibuprofen, melatonin supplements, multivitamins, and allergy medicine sat between the outlier and the tightest categories, with city ranges from about 17% to 24%.
The full retail health basket stayed closer
The full consumer-health retail basket ranged from $127.59 in East St. Louis to $140.81 in West San Antonio. San Jose was close to the top at $140.57, while Clayton and North Jackson stayed near the low end.
That blended line is useful for the broad view, but it hides the shelf-by-shelf split. A single basket number can make the category look stable while one product type is doing something much sharper underneath.
For readers following consumer health retail goods over time, the practical watchpoint is product mix. If the composite line widens, check whether the move is coming from electrolyte powder, vitamin D supplements, or adhesive bandages before assuming every health item moved together.
Watch the shelf, not just the basket
The June 25 health data is broad enough for a product-by-product city comparison and still early enough that trend claims should wait for more public dates. The current evidence says one thing clearly: the retail health shelf was uneven.
The latest city lines are on the Consumer Health Retail Goods Inflation page. The component pages let readers check whether future movement is concentrated in one product type or spread across the full retail health basket.