Cost Per Wearing Day: How to Compare Daily and Monthly Lenses
Cost Per Wearing Day: How to Compare Daily and Monthly Lenses
At Charm Optical, daily lenses run about CAD $1.60 to $3.87 per wearing day for both eyes, and the six monthly lenses priced in this article run about $0.60 to $0.98 per day if you wear them every day. But monthlies are billed by the calendar, not by the day. Wear them three days a week and that $0.60 becomes $1.40, and the gap nearly closes.
That is the number almost nobody works out, and it is the only one that answers the real question. A box price tells you what you spend. Cost per wearing day tells you what you get.
This post does one job: it prices the gap between the two replacement schedules per day of actual wear, and shows you the point where the daily lens stops being the more expensive choice. All figures are CAD, both eyes, at the pack sizes listed on charmoptical.ca as of July 2026.
What does "cost per wearing day" actually measure?
One number, one method, used the same way every time in this article:
Cost per day, both eyes, at the pack size shown
You need two boxes to supply two eyes. Every figure below is lens cost only unless a column says otherwise.
- A daily lensOne pack of 90 lenses = 90 days for one eye. Two packs = 90 days for two eyes. 2 × box ÷ 90
- A monthly lensOne lens per eye, per month. A 6-lens pack = 6 months for one eye, a 12-lens pack = 12. Two packs cover two eyes. 2 × box ÷ lenses
- Wearing days in a monthDays you actually put lenses in, not days on the calendar week days × 30 ÷ 7
- SolutionOnly the monthly side needs it. Priced separately and labelled where used. excluded by default
The whole comparison turns on one asymmetry. A daily lens is billed per wear. A monthly lens is billed per calendar month — you replace it 30 days after you open the blister, whether you wore it thirty times or eight. So the daily lens has a flat cost per wearing day, and the monthly lens has a cost per wearing day that climbs the less you wear it.
How much are daily contact lenses per day?
At the pack sizes we list, a daily lens costs between $1.60 and $3.87 a day for both eyes. That number does not move with how often you wear them. One day of wear, one pair of lenses, one price.
The thing that does move it is pack size, and it moves it hard. A 90 pack is not a rounding-error saving over a 30 pack. It cuts the cost per day by roughly a third.
| Daily lens | 30 pack | Per day | 90 pack | Per day | 90 pack saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dailies AquaComfort Plus | $40 | $2.67 | $72 | $1.60 | $1.07 a day (40%) |
| Dailies Precision1 | $41 | $2.73 | $88 | $1.96 | $0.78 a day (28%) |
| Bausch + Lomb Ultra Dailies | $45 | $3.00 | $95 | $2.11 | $0.89 a day (30%) |
| Biotrue ONEday | $50 | $3.33 | $85 | $1.89 | $1.44 a day (43%) |
| Dailies Total1 | $55 | $3.67 | $112 | $2.49 | $1.18 a day (32%) |
| Acuvue Oasys 1-Day | $58 | $3.87 | $112 | $2.49 | $1.38 a day (36%) |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column
Read the last column again. Buying Biotrue ONEday in 30s instead of 90s costs an extra $1.44 every single day you wear them — about $525 over a year of full-time wear. If you are already committed to a daily lens, pack size is the biggest lever you have, and it costs nothing but a bigger up-front order. Every pack in that table is listed on our contact lens collection, so you can put the 90 next to the 30 in your own brand before you order — and two boxes of any 90 pack above clears the $100 free-shipping line on its own.
How much do monthly contacts cost per month?
Two boxes of a monthly lens cover both eyes for as many months as there are lenses in one box. Across the six monthly lenses below, our listed prices work out to $18.00 to $29.33 a month for two eyes.
| Monthly lens | Box price | Both eyes, per month | Worn 7 days a week | Worn 3 days a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acuvue Vita 12 Pack | $108 | $18.00 | $0.60 a day | $1.40 a day |
| Acuvue Vita 6 Pack | $61 | $20.33 | $0.68 a day | $1.58 a day |
| TOTAL30 6 Pack | $68 | $22.67 | $0.76 a day | $1.76 a day |
| Bausch+Lomb ULTRA 6 Pack | $69 | $23.00 | $0.77 a day | $1.79 a day |
| Acuvue Vita for Astigmatism 6 packs | $72 | $24.00 | $0.80 a day | $1.87 a day |
| Bausch+Lomb ULTRA 6 Pack for Astigmatism | $88 | $29.33 | $0.98 a day | $2.28 a day |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column
Two notes on box sizes, because they decide the whole calculation. The Acuvue Vita 12 Pack holds twelve lenses at one lens per eye per month, so one box is a year for one eye or six months for two — either way the arithmetic lands at $18.00 a month for two eyes. And we list monthly lenses that come in more than one box size — Biofinity, Air Optix and Air Optix Night & Day among them — so ask us for the per-month figure on the box you are actually quoted rather than assuming a six-lens pack.
The two right-hand columns are the same lens and the same money. Only the wearing habit changed, and the cost per wearing day more than doubled.
Add solution to the monthly side
A monthly lens has to be cleaned and stored every night; a daily lens does not. That is a real line item. A 355 mL bottle of Bausch + Lomb renu fresh multi-purpose solution lists at CAD $10.98 at Walmart Canada and CAD $14.59 at Shoppers Drug Mart (July 2026). Charm does not sell solution — buy it wherever you like, but count it.
Where do the two lines cross?
Here is the whole argument in one picture. The teal line is a daily lens: flat, because you pay per wear. The orange curve is a monthly lens: it climbs steeply to the left, because the money is fixed and the wearing days are not.
Where they cross is the answer. To the left of that point, the daily lens is the lower-cost lens. Pick your own two lenses and drag the marker.
The crossover chart
Cost per wearing day, both eyes, by how often you wear lenses
Daily lens: Dailies AquaComfort Plus 90 Pack, $72 a box. Monthly lens: Acuvue Vita 12 Pack, $108 a box, plus $10.98 a month for solution.
Daily lens $1.60 per wearing day, both eyes
Monthly lens $1.69 per wearing day, with solution
At 4 days a week The daily lens is $0.09 a day cheaper
- Daily lens — flat, billed per wear
- Monthly lens + solution
- Monthly lens, lens cost only
| Days a week | Wearing days a month | Daily lens | Monthly lens | Which costs less |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days | 30.0 | $1.60 | $0.97 | Monthly, by $0.63 |
| 6 days | 25.7 | $1.60 | $1.13 | Monthly, by $0.47 |
| 5 days | 21.4 | $1.60 | $1.35 | Monthly, by $0.25 |
| 4 days | 17.1 | $1.60 | $1.69 | Daily, by $0.09 |
| 3 days | 12.9 | $1.60 | $2.25 | Daily, by $0.65 |
| 2 days | 8.6 | $1.60 | $3.38 | Daily, by $1.78 |
| 1 day | 4.3 | $1.60 | $6.76 | Daily, by $5.16 |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column
Counting solution, the crossover for these two lenses lands at about 4.2 days a week. Ignore solution and it drops to 2.6. Either way, the part-time wearer is not paying a premium for dailies. They are paying less.
When is the daily premium worth paying?
Cost per wearing day settles the money. It does not settle the decision on its own. Here is how the two combine.
You wear lenses four days a week or less
This is the clean case. Once solution is counted, the daily lens is usually the lower-cost option as well as the easier one, and nothing goes to waste when you skip a week. Weekend wearers, gym-only wearers and people who mostly live in glasses all sit here.
Dailies win on costYou wear lenses every day, all day
Monthlies are clearly less expensive per day — roughly $0.60 to $0.98 for the six we price here, against $1.60 and up. The gap over a year is real money. If you go daily anyway, buy the 90 pack; that single choice claws back about a third of the difference.
Monthlies win on costYour wear is unpredictable
Shift work, travel, allergy season. A monthly lens keeps billing you at the same rate through a month you barely wore it, so your real cost per wearing day is worse than the number on the box. A daily lens simply stops charging you.
Dailies are the safer betComfort or hygiene is the deciding factor
Then the money is a tiebreaker, not the decision, and your optometrist's call comes first. Worth knowing: daily disposables have gone from 17.1% of daily-wear soft lens fits in 2000 to 46.7% in 2023 across 20 countries (Morgan and colleagues, Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, 2024).
Ask at your fittingThese are the four lenses the chart above is built from. Real boxes, real listed prices, real cost per wearing day.
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Daily
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Monthly
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Monthly
Every brand and pack size we carry is on the contact lenses page. Prices as listed in July 2026.
What the per-day number leaves out
Four costs sit outside the chart. Two of them are real money.
- The fitting. A contact lens prescription is not the same document as a glasses prescription, and it needs a fitting. At Charm that is $135 for the contact lens exam and fitting. It is not part of the $99 comprehensive eye exam. Details on the contact lens fitting page.
- Solution and cases. Monthly side only, and already handled above as an adjustable line.
- Astigmatism. A toric lens costs more in both schedules. Our toric dailies in 90 packs run about $2.42 to $3.44 a day for two eyes; the two toric monthlies in the table above run $24.00 to $29.33 a month.
- Your benefits. Most Alberta group plans pay a fixed dollar allowance, so the plan pays first and the per-day maths applies to whatever is left. Call us with your card and we will tell you what your plan allows before you order.
One rule that beats all of this maths
A monthly lens is replaced on a calendar, not on a counter — 30 days after you open the blister, however few times you wore it. Stretching a box to make the per-day number look better is how the savings turn into an infection. Follow the schedule your optometrist sets at your fitting.
Getting your own number
You can do the arithmetic yourself with the chart above, but the numbers that matter are yours: your brand, your power, your astigmatism, your plan. We will do that for you over the phone in a couple of minutes.
Two things worth knowing before you call. Orders placed online take $5 off with code CHARMCONTACTS, which on a two-box daily supply shaves the per-day number by a few cents, and shipping is free over $100 anywhere in Canada. Full range and current pricing is on our contact lenses in Edmonton page.
Price your exact prescription
Tell us your lens and how often you wear it
Call and we will price your exact prescription in both schedules, per wearing day, and tell you which one costs you less. We are at 5035 Ellerslie Road SW, Edmonton.
FAQ
How much are daily contact lenses per day?
At Charm Optical's listed July 2026 prices, daily disposable lenses cost between CAD $1.60 and $3.87 per wearing day for both eyes, at the pack sizes we list. That figure is two boxes divided by the pack size, because you need one box per eye. It does not change with how often you wear them: one day of wear is one pair of lenses.
How much do monthly contacts cost per month?
Two boxes of a monthly lens cover both eyes, and across the six monthly lenses priced in this article, at Charm Optical's listed July 2026 prices, that works out to between CAD $18.00 and $29.33 a month. Worn every day that is about $0.60 to $0.98 per wearing day. Worn three days a week the same money becomes about $1.40 to $2.28 per wearing day, because the box is billed by the calendar rather than by the wear. Other monthly lenses we list come in more than one box size, so ask us for the figure on the box you are quoted.
Is a 90 pack of daily contacts cheaper than a 30 pack?
Yes, and the gap is larger than most people expect. Across the daily lenses Charm Optical lists in both sizes, moving from a 30 pack to a 90 pack cuts the cost per wearing day by 28% to 43%. Biotrue ONEday drops from $3.33 to $1.89 a day for two eyes, and Dailies Total1 drops from $3.67 to $2.49. Same lens, same prescription, bigger order.
How many days a week do you have to wear contacts before monthlies cost less?
For a Dailies AquaComfort Plus 90 Pack against an Acuvue Vita 12 Pack at Charm Optical's July 2026 prices, the crossover is about 4.2 days a week once solution is counted at $10.98 a month, and about 2.6 days a week if you ignore solution. Below that frequency the daily lens costs less per wearing day. Above it, the monthly lens does.
Does contact lens solution change the daily versus monthly comparison?
It changes it a lot for part-time wearers. Solution is a monthly-lens cost only, and it is charged by the calendar just like the lens. A 355 mL bottle of Bausch + Lomb renu fresh multi-purpose solution lists at CAD $10.98 at Walmart Canada and CAD $14.59 at Shoppers Drug Mart in July 2026. Adding roughly $11 a month moves the crossover point from about 2.6 days a week to about 4.2.
Are daily contact lenses worth the extra cost?
If you wear lenses every day, monthlies cost noticeably less per wearing day and the difference over a year is real. If you wear lenses four days a week or less, there often is no extra cost to justify, because once solution is counted the daily lens is the lower-cost option too. Comfort, hygiene and your optometrist's advice still come first, but the money argument for monthlies weakens fast below full-time wear.
Can I wear monthly contact lenses only on weekends to make them last longer?
No. A monthly replacement lens is discarded 30 days after you open the blister, not after 30 wears, so wearing it only on weekends does not stretch the box — it just raises your cost per wearing day. That is exactly why a part-time wearer is often better off in dailies. Always follow the replacement schedule your optometrist sets at your contact lens fitting.
Can I order contact lenses online from Charm Optical?
Yes. The lenses priced in this article are listed at charmoptical.ca, and we ship across Canada with free shipping on orders over $100. Store pickup at 5035 Ellerslie Rd SW in south Edmonton is free at any order value. Code CHARMCONTACTS takes $5 off a contact lens order. You need a current contact lens prescription to order contact lenses, and the $135 contact lens exam and fitting is what produces it.
What does a contact lens fitting cost at Charm Optical in Edmonton?
A contact lens exam and fitting at Charm Optical is CAD $135, and it is a separate service from the $99 comprehensive eye exam — the fitting is not included in that price. You need a valid contact lens prescription to order lenses, and the fitting is what produces it. Appointments only; call (780) 490-0090 or book online.
Two minutes on the phone beats an average
Call for pricing
We will price your exact prescription, per wearing day, on the phone.
Tell us the lens you are in now and how many days a week you actually wear it. We will work out both schedules against your prescription, count the solution, and tell you which one costs you less. A phone quote takes about two minutes. If you still need a valid contact lens prescription, that is the $135 exam and fitting, by appointment.
Need the eye exam first? See eye exams in Edmonton. Browsing lenses? Start at contact lenses in Edmonton. All prices CAD and current as of July 2026.