Dexcom sells two things that both get called “a Dexcom” and they are priced in completely different worlds. The G7 line is prescription hardware sold through pharmacies and durable medical equipment suppliers. Stelo is an over-the-counter biosensor sold direct to consumers by subscription, no prescription and no insurance involved.
If you are shopping without insurance, knowing which one you are actually looking at is worth several hundred dollars a month. Every figure below was verified on September 3, 2026, and Dexcom’s own pages are the source for anything attributed to the company.
What Does Dexcom Cost Without Insurance?
Prices are normalized to 30 days of wear where possible, since G7 sensors run 10 days, G7 15 Day sensors run 15 days, and Stelo biosensors run up to 15 days.
| Dexcom product | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| G7 sensors, 3-pack (30 days), prescription | $357.14 (discount card) | not published | $566.14 (average pharmacy retail) |
| G7 sensor, per 10-day sensor | about $119 (card) | not published | about $189 (retail) |
| G7 15 Day sensors, 30 days, prescription | about $397 (card) | not published | about $488 (highest retail row listed) |
| G7 receiver, one-time | $77.43 (card) | not published | $427.29 (average retail) |
| Stelo biosensor, 30 days, over the counter | $84 (3-month plan) | $89 (monthly subscription) | $99 (one-time 2-pack) |
| Stelo, per 15-day biosensor | $42 (3-month plan) | $44.50 (monthly) | $49.50 (one-time) |
The G7 figures come from SingleCare’s Dexcom G7 Sensor page with prices updated September 3, 2026, which states an average pharmacy price of $566.14 per box of three sensors and a card price as low as $357.14. Its Dexcom G7 Receiver page, same date, lists an average price of $427.29 and a lowest card price of $77.43.
For the G7 15 Day sensor, SingleCare’s page on the same date did not publish a single national average. It listed monthly retail prices by pharmacy running from about $461 to $488 and card prices from about $397 to $431. Note the pattern: a discount card cuts far less off the 15 Day sensor than off the standard G7.
Per-pharmacy rows on discount-card sites are session dependent and can differ between two lookups on the same day, so treat the chain names as illustrative of the spread and the average retail figure as the number to anchor on.
Stelo is the cheap Dexcom, and it is a different device
FDA cleared Stelo on March 5, 2024 as the first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor in the United States, indicated for adults 18 and older who do not use insulin. FDA also noted it is not designed for people with problematic hypoglycemia because it does not alert to dangerously low glucose.
Stelo’s own store publishes its prices openly, which almost nothing else in this category does: $99 for a one-time pack of two biosensors, $89 a month on subscription, and $252 for a 3-month subscription of six biosensors. On the 3-month plan a 15-day sensor costs $42, or about $2.80 a day. That is roughly one sixth the daily cost of a G7 sensor at average retail.
What Drives the Price
Prescription versus over the counter. The G7 line carries low-glucose alarms and insulin-pump integration; Stelo does not. That regulatory difference, not the sensing hardware, is most of the price gap.
Sensor lifespan. A standard G7 sensor runs 10 days. The G7 15 Day sensor runs 15. At the same box price, the longer sensor is meaningfully cheaper per day, which is why Dexcom’s provider page says a covered patient’s monthly copay should not change when they switch.
Whether you buy the receiver. The handheld receiver is optional if you have a compatible phone, and at $427.29 average retail it is the largest single item in a first-month cash bill. Dexcom’s savings center advertises more than $200 off it with the pharmacy coupon; a discount card on SingleCare showed a low of $77.43.
Which coupon you use, and whether they stack. They do not. Dexcom’s own pharmacy savings coupon and a third-party discount card are both cash-price discounts applied at the counter, and you get one of them, not both. Ask the pharmacist to run each and quote you the lower total.
Pharmacy versus DME supplier. Dexcom products can be billed either way. The pharmacy channel is where cash discounts exist. The durable medical equipment channel is built around insurance billing and is generally a poor place to be a self-pay buyer.
Cash Price vs. Insurance
Dexcom’s most-quoted number needs a warning label. The company’s own FAQ says a patient can pay as little as $89 a month “with commercial insurance.” That is a copay claim for an insured person. It is not a self-pay price, and an uninsured buyer walking into a pharmacy will not be offered it.
What Dexcom actually offers cash buyers is a pharmacy savings coupon. Its savings center describes it as saving $210 or more on every 30-day supply of sensors and more than $200 on a receiver, redeemable at participating retail pharmacies. Its G7 cost FAQ frames the same program as $200 off the retail cash price of a monthly sensor pack and $240 off a receiver over a one-year period. Those two pages state the discount slightly differently, so ask the pharmacy to apply it and quote you the resulting total rather than assuming a fixed number.
For Medicare beneficiaries, Dexcom G7 is covered as durable medical equipment under Part B for people who meet the therapeutic-CGM criteria, and the standard 20% coinsurance after the Part B deductible applies. Our CGM cost overview walks through that rule and compares Dexcom against Abbott and Medtronic side by side.
If a pharmacy or supplier quotes you a number that resembles nothing above, our fair price checker is a quick reality test.
How to Pay Less
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Ask whether Stelo fits before you fill a G7 prescription. If you do not use insulin, the over-the-counter product is $89 a month against $566 at average retail for the prescription one. That is the largest saving available on this brand by an enormous margin, and it requires no prescription, no prior authorization and no benefits check.
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Run Dexcom’s pharmacy coupon and a discount card and take the lower one. The coupon is described at $210 or more off a 30-day sensor supply; a discount card on the same box showed $566.14 down to $357.14. Our comparison of GoodRx vs. SingleCare covers checking cards against the same NDC before you hand over the prescription.
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Skip the receiver. If your phone is compatible, that is $427.29 at average retail you simply do not spend. If you genuinely need the receiver, buy it with a coupon, not at counter price.
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Buy the longest Stelo plan you can afford. Stelo’s per-sensor price drops from $49.50 one-time to $44.50 monthly to $42 on the 3-month plan. Stelo is also HSA and FSA eligible, so pre-tax dollars work on it.
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Compare against Abbott before you commit to a brand. Abbott’s prescription sensors price well below Dexcom’s at retail. Our FreeStyle Libre cost guide has the current numbers side by side.
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Do not let the rest of the diabetes bill go unpriced. Our guides to insulin without insurance and A1C testing cover the recurring lines around the sensor. If clinic visits are the barrier, a free or sliding-scale clinic can handle the follow-ups, and if a supplier bill has already arrived, our medical bill negotiation guide covers what to say before paying it.
Bottom Line
Budget $357 to $566 a month for prescription Dexcom G7 sensors in September 2026 depending on whether you use a discount card, roughly $460 to $490 a month for G7 15 Day at retail, and $89 to $99 a month for over-the-counter Stelo.
The number to be skeptical of is the $89 that appears on Dexcom’s own marketing. On the G7 side that figure describes an insured copay. On the Stelo side an $89 monthly price is real, published, and available to anyone with a credit card. Those are two different products, and knowing which one you are buying is the whole game.