Unit Price Comparison Calculator

Unit pricing in Australia

Unit pricing has been mandatory in Australia since 2009 under the Competition and Consumer (Unit Pricing) Regulation. Grocery retailers and online food stores with a floor space of 1,000 square metres or more must display the unit price alongside the selling price for most packaged goods. The unit price shows the cost per standard unit of measure (e.g. per kilogram, per litre, per 100 millilitres), making it easy to compare products of different sizes.

For businesses purchasing supplies, raw materials, or inventory, unit price comparison is even more critical. When evaluating supplier quotes, the headline price per carton or pallet can be misleading if the quantities differ. Converting everything to a common unit (price per kg, price per litre, price per unit) enables a true apples-to-apples comparison that factors out packaging and lot size differences.

How to use this unit price comparison calculator

1. Add up to five products by entering the product name, total price, quantity, and unit of measure (kg, g, L, mL, or unit).
2. The calculator automatically converts all products to the same base unit for comparison - no manual conversion needed.
3. Review the results table showing the unit price for each product, ranked from cheapest to most expensive.
4. Check the savings percentage to see how much more the expensive options cost versus the best-value product.

Australian unit pricing regulations and ACCC enforcement

The ACCC enforces unit pricing compliance under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. The regulation requires unit prices to be displayed prominently, in legible font, and in close proximity to the selling price. Unit prices must use standard metric units: per kilogram for items sold by weight, per litre for liquids, and per unit or per 100 units for counted items. The ACCC has issued infringement notices to major supermarket chains for non-compliant unit pricing displays. For businesses purchasing from suppliers, understanding unit pricing helps identify when a "bulk discount" actually delivers worse value per unit than a smaller pack size - a common issue in wholesale procurement.

How AP automation supports better purchasing decisions

When purchase invoices are processed manually, it is difficult to build a historical database of unit prices by supplier. AP automation captures every line item from every invoice, making it possible to track unit price trends over time, identify the most cost-effective suppliers, and negotiate better rates based on actual purchase data rather than estimates. Over time, this data becomes a powerful procurement tool that pays for itself many times over.