Ibuprofen Prices Rose 28% as Acetaminophen Fell 13%
Ibuprofen prices averaged $4.49 for a standardized 100-unit equivalent across 12 city areas on July 27 and $5.73 on August 3, an increase of 27.8%.
Acetaminophen prices moved the other way, falling from $5.53 to $4.84, or 12.5%. That was enough to reverse which standardized price was higher: acetaminophen led by $1.05 on July 27, while ibuprofen led by $0.89 one week later.
The retail-price comparison uses the same 12 city areas and the same 100-solid-unit basis on both dates.
A $1.05 lead turned into an 89-cent deficit
On July 27, the acetaminophen average was $5.53 while the ibuprofen average was $4.49. By August 3, ibuprofen had reached $5.73 and acetaminophen had moved down to $4.84.
The difference therefore traveled $1.94 in one week: from a $1.05 acetaminophen lead to an $0.89 ibuprofen lead. The crossover appeared on August 1, when the ibuprofen average reached $5.65 and the acetaminophen average was $4.44.
Every tracked city area moved in the split direction
Ibuprofen finished higher in all 12 city areas, with increases from 10.5% in Mid-City Los Angeles to 54.8% in Ridgewood/Glendale New York. Acetaminophen finished lower everywhere, ranging from a 0.4% decline in Ridgewood/Glendale to a 20.4% decline in North Center/Avondale Chicago.
The final column shows how far the local ibuprofen-minus-acetaminophen price difference moved between the two dates.
| City area | Ibuprofen | Acetaminophen | Gap swing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL - North Center/Avondale | +26.7% | -20.4% | +$2.46 |
| Clayton, MO | +21.6% | -11.8% | +$1.71 |
| East St. Louis, IL | +30.4% | -13.2% | +$2.14 |
| Houston, TX - Midtown | +34.0% | -13.0% | +$2.14 |
| Jackson, MS - North Jackson | +34.6% | -9.6% | +$2.02 |
| Jacksonville, FL - Westside | +24.9% | -12.9% | +$1.91 |
| Los Angeles, CA - Mid-City | +10.5% | -18.6% | +$1.60 |
| New York, NY - Ridgewood/Glendale | +54.8% | -0.4% | +$2.09 |
| Philadelphia, PA - South Philadelphia | +19.5% | -14.9% | +$1.72 |
| San Antonio, TX - West San Antonio | +34.4% | -19.3% | +$2.69 |
| San Jose, CA - Blossom Valley | +25.5% | -9.7% | +$1.58 |
| Seattle, WA - Rainier Valley | +24.1% | -2.2% | +$1.22 |
The full health basket rose only 1%
The broader Consumer Health Retail Goods Inflation basket averaged $135.26 across the 12 city areas on July 27 and $136.59 on August 3. Its $1.32 increase was just under 1%, much smaller than the opposing pain-reliever moves inside it.
Other components also pulled in opposite directions. Multivitamin prices and melatonin moved higher, while adhesive bandages and allergy medicine moved lower. The calm basket total therefore concealed sharper product-level changes.
The August 3 ibuprofen lead of $0.89 is now the comparison point. The live ibuprofen price history and acetaminophen price history pages show whether the crossover holds as new city prices arrive.