Costco Pharmacy review
Among the lowest dispensing costs in Canada, open to non-members, but you need your own prescription
from $88/mo
Generic semaglutide from roughly $88/mo in Ontario/BC, $91 in Alberta, $99 in Quebec; you supply your own prescription
The lowest dispensing costs typically found in Canada
Costco Pharmacy consistently comes up as one of the cheapest places in Canada to fill a GLP-1 prescription, largely because Costco's pharmacy operations run on thin margins relative to a warehouse-club membership model that makes its money elsewhere. For generic semaglutide, publicly listed pricing runs around $88/mo in Ontario and British Columbia, $91/mo in Alberta, and $99/mo in Quebec, reflecting provincial differences in drug pricing regulation and pharmacy dispensing fee caps rather than anything Costco-specific.
Those figures are for the medication and dispensing only. Unlike the bundled telehealth subscriptions elsewhere on this site, Costco Pharmacy is not a consult-and-prescribe service — it fills prescriptions written by your own doctor or nurse practitioner, so there's no consult fee built in because there's no consult happening at Costco.
No membership required, despite the name
A common misconception is that you need a Costco membership to use the pharmacy. In most Canadian provinces, pharmacy services are legally required to be available to the public regardless of retail membership status, which means you can walk in, fill a prescription, and pay pharmacy prices without a membership card. This is a legal requirement in most provinces, not a special Costco policy, but it's worth confirming with your specific location since provincial rules and individual store practices can vary slightly.
That said, if you already have a Costco membership for other shopping, using the pharmacy alongside it is obviously seamless — the point is simply that membership isn't a prerequisite most places.
What you need to bring, and where availability varies
Because Costco Pharmacy doesn't provide the prescribing consult, you need a valid prescription from your own doctor, nurse practitioner, or a telehealth provider before you can fill anything there. This is the key structural difference from every telehealth option on this site: Costco is the cheapest place to fill once you have a prescription in hand, but it doesn't get you that prescription in the first place.
Stock availability, wait times, and even whether a specific product is regularly carried can vary by individual store location, particularly for higher-demand GLP-1 products. It's worth calling ahead to your nearest location to confirm current stock and pricing before making a special trip, rather than assuming uniform availability across every Costco pharmacy counter in the country.
How it works
- 1Obtain a valid prescription from your own doctor, nurse practitioner, or a telehealth provider
- 2Call or check with your nearest Costco Pharmacy to confirm current stock and pricing
- 3Bring the prescription to the pharmacy counter to fill it, no membership required at most locations
- 4Pay the dispensing price directly, with no consult fee involved since Costco doesn't prescribe
- 5Return for refills as your prescriber directs, checking stock ahead of each visit
Pros
- +Among the lowest publicly listed dispensing prices for generic semaglutide in Canada
- +No membership required to use the pharmacy in most provinces, despite common assumption
- +No bundled consult fee, since you're only paying for the medication and dispensing
- +Useful for anyone who already has a prescription and wants to minimize what they pay to fill it
Cons
- −Does not provide the prescribing consult — you must already have a valid prescription from elsewhere
- −Stock and availability vary by individual store location and can be inconsistent for high-demand products
- −No integrated telehealth or follow-up care; it's purely a dispensing pharmacy
- −Pricing varies notably by province, so the headline figure isn't the same everywhere
Who it suits
Costco Pharmacy tends to suit people who already have a prescription in hand, either from their own family doctor or from a telehealth provider that doesn't bundle in dispensing, and who are specifically trying to minimize the cost of filling that prescription each month. It's a strong option for anyone comfortable managing the prescribing relationship separately and simply wants the lowest available dispensing price, especially in Ontario, British Columbia, or Alberta where the listed pricing tends to be most competitive. It suits someone who has already ruled out membership as a barrier, or who has confirmed with their local store that non-member pharmacy access applies where they live. It's a weaker fit for someone who wants a single provider to handle both the prescribing consult and the medication in one relationship, since Costco Pharmacy doesn't offer any prescribing service at all — pairing it with a consult-only telehealth option like Maple, or with your own family doctor, is the more common way people combine the two. It's also worth calling ahead before relying on a specific location, since stock and even pricing can vary store to store, and the figures here reflect provincial pricing as listed as of July 2026.
Frequently asked
- Do I need a Costco membership to use the pharmacy?
- In most provinces, no. Pharmacy access is generally required by law to be open to the public regardless of retail membership, though it's worth confirming with your specific location.
- Can Costco Pharmacy write me a GLP-1 prescription?
- No. Costco Pharmacy fills prescriptions written by your own doctor, nurse practitioner, or a telehealth provider; it does not provide the prescribing consult itself.
- Why does the price differ between provinces?
- Drug pricing regulation and pharmacy dispensing fee caps are set provincially in Canada, which is why the same medication can be priced differently in Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec even at the same national pharmacy chain.