First-month-cost calculator
First-month cost is everything a program requires before or during month one: the first medication charge, any mandatory membership, one-time consultation, onboarding, or lab fees, and shipping. Introductory discounts can make month one look cheap while renewal months cost more, so this calculator shows both numbers side by side. It runs entirely in your browser, stores nothing, recommends no medication, and does not replace medical advice.
A starter offer is not renewal pricing (Methodology §9): compare programs on both figures. Unknown fees are not zero — if a fee isn't disclosed, treat the result as a floor, not the price.
How to use it
Enter the program's month-one medication price, the ongoing price after any introductory discount, any mandatory monthly membership, one-time consultation, onboarding, or lab fees, and first-shipment shipping. The tool returns your true first-month outlay next to a typical renewal month, so an attractive intro price can't disguise a higher ongoing cost. If the program has no introductory discount, enter the same figure for month one and ongoing — the renewal line will simply confirm the price holds.
Definitions
True first-month cost is everything required to start: first medication charge plus membership, one-time fees, and shipping. Typical renewal month is the recurring cost once intro pricing ends — medication plus membership, without the one-time fees. The difference between them is the introductory subsidy, and it's the number providers most like to feature and least like to contextualize. A "$49 first month" beside a "$199 renewal" is a very different offer than a flat $149.
How the calculation works
First-month cost sums the month-one medication price, the membership, all one-time fees, and first-shipment shipping. The renewal month sums the ongoing medication price and the membership only. When the month-one price is below the ongoing price, the tool flags the gap so you can see exactly how much the intro discount is worth — and, by implication, how much more every subsequent month costs. One-time fees are deliberately kept out of the renewal figure because you pay them once, but they're kept in the first-month figure because they land immediately.
Worked example
A program advertising a $49 first month, then $199/month, with a $0 membership and a $25 one-time consultation fee, free shipping: enter $49 month-one, $199 ongoing, $0 membership, $25 one-time, $0 shipping. The tool returns $74.00 true first-month cost and $199.00 typical renewal — flagging that month one is $150 cheaper than every month after. Compared against a flat $149/month program with no intro and no fees, the "$49" offer costs more from month two onward and overtakes the flat program within the first quarter.
Interpreting your result
Judge a program on the renewal figure, not the first-month figure, unless you genuinely intend to use it for a single month. The first-month number tells you what you'll pay to start; the renewal number tells you what the program actually costs over time. A large gap between them is a marketing signal to scrutinize — it means the headline you were shown isn't the price you'll mostly pay. Pair this with the true-cost calculator to normalize the renewal price against providers with different fee structures.
Worked examples
These reference cases show how a low first-month headline can hide a higher ongoing cost, and how recurring shipping shifts the renewal figure. Each is computed by the calculator's formula.
| Scenario | First month | Renewal month | Intro discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| $39 intro, then $99 med + $79 membership, free shipping | $118.00 | $178.00 | $60.00 |
| $49 first month, then $199/mo, $0 membership, $25 one-time consult | $74.00 | $199.00 | $150.00 |
| $145 flat, $0 membership, $15 shipping recurring | $160.00 | $160.00 | — |
| $99 med + $79 membership, $15 shipping first-only | $193.00 | $178.00 | — |
The fourth row is the instructive one: because the $15 shipping is a first-shipment-only charge, the first month is actually higher than the renewal month — the opposite of an intro discount. Toggling "recurring shipping" changes which months carry it, which is why the calculator asks. When shipping recurs, add it to the renewal figure; when it's a one-time setup shipment, it belongs only in month one.
Interpretation guidance
Judge a program on the renewal figure unless you truly intend to use it for a single month, because the renewal number is what you pay every month you stay in treatment — usually many months for weight management. Use the first-month figure to check what you can absorb at signup, and use the intro-discount figure to see how much the headline flatters the offer. A large gap between first-month and renewal is a marketing signal to scrutinize: it means the number you were shown is not the number you will mostly pay. Pair this with the true-cost calculator to normalize the renewal price against providers with different fee structures.
Limitations
The tool relies on the ongoing price being disclosed, and some providers advertise the intro rate prominently while burying or omitting the renewal rate — if you can't find it, ask before enrolling, because a starter offer is not renewal pricing. Undisclosed fees entered as zero understate both figures. And the calculator doesn't capture prepaid multi-month structures, where "first month" isn't a meaningful unit; use the commitment calculator for those. As always, the provider's actual checkout total is the authoritative number.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the renewal month matter more than the first month?
Because you'll pay it far more often. A one-time intro discount saves you money once; the renewal price is what you pay every month you stay in treatment, which for weight management is usually many months. Providers feature the low first-month number for conversion; the renewal number is the one that determines your real cost, so it's the one to compare on.
What counts as a one-time fee?
Charges you pay once at signup rather than every month: consultation or intake fees, onboarding fees, and initial lab work if required and billed to you. They inflate the first month but not renewals. If a "one-time" fee actually recurs — some providers re-charge intake at renewal — treat it as a membership instead and enter it in the monthly field.
The provider only advertises the first-month price. What do I do?
Ask for the ongoing price in writing before enrolling, and don't assume the intro rate continues. A provider unwilling to state its renewal price clearly is itself a caution sign. Until you have that number, you can't compare the program honestly against a flat-priced competitor, and the first-month figure alone will mislead you toward the more expensive option.