What is the Period Products Cost Calculator?
The Period Products Cost Calculator estimates how much you spend on tampons, pads, panty liners or similar disposable menstrual products over a chosen number of years. Many people are surprised at how a small per-item cost adds up into hundreds or even thousands over a lifetime of menstruation. This tool turns everyday habits into a clear total so you can budget, compare brands, or weigh up reusable alternatives like menstrual cups and period underwear. It is currency-agnostic — simply enter the unit price in your own currency.
How to use it
Enter four numbers: how many products you use per cycle, how many cycles you have per year (around 13 for a roughly 28-day cycle), the price you pay per product, and the number of years you want to project. The calculator multiplies them together to give your estimated lifetime cost, plus your cost per year, products used per year, and total products consumed over the whole period.
The formula explained
The math is a simple chain of multiplications:
$$\text{Lifetime Cost} = \text{Products / Cycle} \times \text{Cycles / Year} \times \text{Price / Product} \times \text{Years}$$
Products per cycle multiplied by cycles per year gives products per year. Multiplied by the unit price gives the annual cost. Multiplied by the number of years gives the total lifetime spend.
Worked example
Suppose you use 20 products per cycle, have 13 cycles per year, each product costs 0.25, and you project over 40 years. Products per year = \(20 \times 13 = 260\). Annual cost = \(260 \times 0.25 = 65\). Lifetime cost = \(65 \times 40 = 2{,}600\). Over those 40 years you would use 10,400 products.
FAQ
How many cycles are in a year? Most people have about 12–13 cycles per year, depending on cycle length. Use 13 as a typical estimate.
Does this include shipping or tax? No — it uses the unit price you enter, so include tax or shipping in that price if you want them counted.
Can I compare reusable products? Yes. Run it once for disposables, then compare against the one-off cost of a menstrual cup or reusable pads to see potential savings.
