Multivitamin Prices Reversed Course, Rising 50%
Multivitamin prices did not keep falling after July. The standardized 100-unit equivalent averaged $12.89 across 12 city areas on July 30 and $19.29 on August 6, an increase of 49.7% in one week.
CostInflation’s July supplement comparison found multivitamins falling through July 9. The new week moved sharply the other way, and all 12 tracked city areas finished higher.
The late-week acceleration also changed the broader signal. Multivitamins supplied about 77% of the equal-weight consumer-health basket’s $8.29 rise over the same week.
How multivitamin prices changed in the final two days
The 12-city average stayed near $12.88 through July 31, reached $14.40 on August 2, and dipped to $13.79 on August 3. It then climbed for three straight days: $15.01 on August 4, $17.64 on August 5, and $19.29 on August 6.
About two-thirds of the full $6.40 increase arrived between August 4 and August 6. The week was therefore a sharp late climb, not an unbroken daily rise.
One product supplied 77% of the wider basket rise
The broader Consumer Health Retail Goods Inflation basket averaged $130.65 across the 12 city areas on July 30 and $138.94 on August 6. Its $8.29 increase was 6.3%, far smaller than the multivitamin move.
Because the 11-product basket gives each component equal weight, the $6.40 multivitamin increase accounted for about 77% of the basket’s rise. Higher magnesium, melatonin, ibuprofen, electrolyte powder, bandage, and thermometer prices added to the total. Lower vitamin D, allergy medicine, antacid, and acetaminophen prices offset part of it.
The weekly rise reached every tracked city area
Increases ranged from 26.8% in Midtown Houston to 75.3% in North Center/Avondale Chicago. Seattle’s Rainier Valley rose 70.0%, and East St. Louis rose 63.2%.
| City area | July 30 | August 6 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL - North Center/Avondale | $12.49 | $21.89 | +75.3% |
| Clayton, MO | $12.56 | $19.25 | +53.3% |
| East St. Louis, IL | $11.56 | $18.87 | +63.2% |
| Houston, TX - Midtown | $13.18 | $16.71 | +26.8% |
| Jackson, MS - North Jackson | $12.77 | $18.54 | +45.2% |
| Jacksonville, FL - Westside | $13.18 | $19.41 | +47.3% |
| Los Angeles, CA - Mid-City | $13.04 | $20.31 | +55.8% |
| New York, NY - Ridgewood/Glendale | $12.56 | $18.44 | +46.8% |
| Philadelphia, PA - South Philadelphia | $13.45 | $19.36 | +43.9% |
| San Antonio, TX - West San Antonio | $13.76 | $18.13 | +31.8% |
| San Jose, CA - Blossom Valley | $13.17 | $18.59 | +41.2% |
| Seattle, WA - Rainier Valley | $12.90 | $21.93 | +70.0% |
The next readings have a clear test. A move back toward $12.89 would make this a brief spike; readings near $19.29 would establish a higher benchmark for the standardized 100-unit comparison.
Readers can make that check on the live multivitamin price history. The consumer-health retail-goods index provides the second comparison: whether multivitamins keep setting the basket’s direction or other products take over.