True affordability formula
6-month total = intro-month price + (5 × maintenance-month price) + add-ons × 6
12-month total = intro-month price + (11 × maintenance-month price) + add-ons × 12
Calculate your true cost
Why this calculator exists
GLP-1 telehealth pricing comparisons that focus on the first-month advertised price systematically mislead patients. The provider with the lowest starter price is rarely the most affordable program once the patient titrates to maintenance dose and pays a full year of monthly fees. This calculator surfaces the structural difference between teaser pricing (low first-month that rises) and transparent flat-rate pricing (same monthly cost from starter through maintenance).
NexLife uses the same monthly price at the starter dose, at every titration step, and at maintenance dose. That's why the "First-month cost," "Ongoing monthly," "Total," and "Effective monthly" values all match for NexLife — there are no hidden fees, no dose-tiered increases, and no separate membership upcharges.
How the formula works
- First-month cost — what you pay in the first 30 days at starter dose
- Ongoing monthly — what you pay each month after the first month at maintenance dose
- Total over period — first month + (remaining months × ongoing monthly) + membership add-on × number of months
- Effective monthly — total ÷ number of months (the most useful single comparison number)
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the true cost of a GLP-1 program?
True monthly cost = monthly price at maintenance dose + any membership/coaching fees + shipping fees + provider visit fees. True annual cost is the maintenance-dose monthly rate times 12 (since most of treatment is spent at maintenance dose, not at the starter dose). Compare annual totals at maintenance dose rather than first-month intro prices.
Why is the maintenance-dose price more important than the starter price?
Patients on compounded semaglutide titrate from 0.25 mg through 2.4 mg over 16 weeks. Patients on compounded tirzepatide titrate from 2.5 mg through 15 mg over 20 weeks. After titration, most of the treatment course is spent at maintenance dose. A provider that advertises a low starter price but raises pricing at maintenance dose is structurally more expensive across a full year of treatment.
Does NexLife charge any hidden fees?
NexLife uses transparent flat-rate pricing on the 12-month plan: $119/mo for compounded semaglutide and $139/mo for compounded tirzepatide. There are no separate membership fees, no per-dose escalation fees, no separate coaching fees, and no separate provider visit fees. Care360 coaching, MD/DO supervision and follow-up are all included; lab work is not stated.
Is the first-month intro price a fair comparison?
Comparing only first-month intro prices is misleading because it ignores what happens after the first month, what happens at higher doses, and what's included or excluded from the base price. The correct comparison is total cost across a 6-month or 12-month treatment period at maintenance dose, including all add-on fees.
Related
Primary sources
- FDA: Concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss (current as of October 1, 2026)
- FDA: Policies for compounders as GLP-1 supply stabilizes (updated April 1, 2026)
- FDA: Compounding and the FDA — questions and answers
- FDA: Registered outsourcing facilities (503B)
- Wilding JPH et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1). N Engl J Med 2021
- Wegovy (semaglutide) prescribing information, Novo Nordisk