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@neelupatel

How much does your CGM actually cost?

I'm trying to work out the real monthly cost of using a CGM and I feel like the sensor price alone doesn't tell the whole story.

Depending on the system, there can be sensors, a separate transmitter, a reader if you don't use your phone, and possibly other app or subscription costs. Then there's the occasional sensor that comes off early or needs replacing.

For people who actually use a CGM regularly, what do you end up spending in a normal month? And were there any costs you didn't realise you'd have when you first started?

I'm mainly trying to figure out whether continuous use fits my budget or if it makes more sense to use a CGM for a few weeks every couple of months.

263492 views
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@nisha92

The easiest way I found was to calculate the cost per day instead of comparing sensor prices. Two sensors can look similarly priced but if one lasts longer the monthly number can be pretty different.

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@mohitkumar

This is how I compare them too. I make it even more boring and calculate the yearly cost 😂

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@anjali-r

Yearly cost is the number that hurts.

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@nisha92

Exactly. Monthly feels manageable until you multiply it by 12.

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@sunilkumar18

Check whether the system you're considering even has a separate transmitter cost. Some do, some don't. Same with readers. If your phone is compatible you may not need a separate reader at all.

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deepali09
@deepali09

Phone compatibility is something people forget to check. I wouldn't buy anything until I knew the exact sensor and app worked with my phone.

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@ganeshrao

And don't assume because your phone is new that it's automatically supported. Learned that one the annoying way.

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@dineshkumar

For me the hidden cost was patches. I sweat a lot and without an overpatch I don't trust the sensor to stay on for the full wear period.

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@rakesh04

Same, especially in summer. The patches aren't a huge expense individually but it's still another thing I keep buying.

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@anand37

Do you use a patch from day one or only when the adhesive starts lifting?

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@rakesh04

Usually from day one if I know I'm going to be exercising a lot. Otherwise I wait and see.

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@abhishek-r

I'm Type 2 and not on insulin, so I don't wear one all year. I buy sensors occasionally and use those weeks to test things I'm actually curious about, like breakfast, rice portions, late dinners and walking after meals. For me that's much easier to justify financially.

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@lokesh05

Do you find you still learn anything new after doing that a few times? I was thinking of doing exactly this.

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@abhishek-r

Yeah, but I space them out. If nothing in my routine has changed I don't see much point repeating the same experiment every month.

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@prakash37

I do something similar. I used one when I changed my diet and then again when I started going to the gym regularly. Continuous use would be nice, but I don't personally need it enough to pay for it every month.

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@rohit17

I'm Type 1, so I look at the cost differently because I use CGM continuously. For me reliability, alerts and being able to get sensors consistently matter enough that I wouldn't automatically switch just because another option was a little cheaper.

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@rameshreddy

Same. Cheapest per month and best value aren't always the same thing, especially if you depend on the alarms.

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@rahulverma

Availability matters too. I don't want to save a little and then discover the sensors are constantly out of stock.

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@karthik07

Before adding a subscription to your budget, check whether the specific CGM you're buying actually requires one. A lot of these comparisons online mix different countries and different versions of the products.

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@geetanjali14

This confused me so much when I was researching. I'd find a price, get excited, and then realise I was reading a page for another country.

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@neelupatel

That's probably why I'm struggling to get one clean monthly number. I'm going to compare only the exact models I can actually buy rather than random CGM prices I find online.

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@rajivsharma

Failed sensors are another thing to think about, although I wouldn't automatically count every failed sensor as money lost. I've had replacements provided when a sensor genuinely failed early. Keep the packaging and contact the manufacturer rather than just throwing it away.

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@suman19

Keeping the box is good advice. I used to throw everything away the second I inserted the sensor.

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@rekha28

My spreadsheet has sensor cost, expected wear days, transmitter cost if there is one, patches and any one-time reader cost. Then I separate first-month cost from normal monthly cost because buying a reader once shouldn't make every month look more expensive.

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@nikhilpatel

This is the right level of nerdiness for diabetes 😂

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@rekha28

If I'm sticking something to my arm all year I deserve a spreadsheet.

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