Compare the unit price for each option.
Option A
3 items
$4.50
Option B
4 items
$9.00
Compare unit prices · grades 6–7
Better Buy Unit Price Worksheet Generator
Turn proportional reasoning into a consumer-math decision. Every option uses exact integer cents per item, so students compare true unit prices without hidden rounding or a misleading tie.
Live worksheet preview
Better Buy Unit Prices
Better Buy / unit price · Small whole numbers · Seed 261501
Compare the unit price for each option.
Option A
5 items
$12.50
Option B
9 items
$20.25
Compare the unit price for each option.
Option A
3 items
$4.50
Option B
7 items
$5.25
Compare the unit price for each option.
Option A
2 items
$1.50
Option B
4 items
$5.00
Compare the unit price for each option.
Option A
4 items
$9.00
Option B
8 items
$12.00
Compare the unit price for each option.
Option A
2 items
$2.00
Option B
7 items
$8.75
Compare the unit price for each option.
Option A
2 items
$4.50
Option B
6 items
$15.00
Compare the unit price for each option.
Option A
2 items
$6.50
Option B
7 items
$17.50
Compare the unit price for each option.
Option A
4 items
$3.00
Option B
9 items
$9.00
Compare the unit price for each option.
Option A
3 items
$6.75
Option B
8 items
$24.00
No fake precision: tables, graph points, equations, and double number lines come from the same exact whole-number constant of proportionality. Better Buy problems compare integer cents per item, so a winner is never chosen from a rounded display value.
Choosing the cheaper package by unit price
A better-buy question asks which option costs less for each single item. Every option in the generator uses exact integer cents per item, so the comparison is never decided by rounding and there is never a hidden tie.
Why bigger is not always cheaper
- Comparing the total prices of packages that hold different amounts.
- Assuming the larger package always has the lower unit price.
- Dividing count by cost instead of cost by count, which reverses the comparison.
A comparison worked from the receipt
- A 12-pack costs $4.20, so each item costs $0.35. A 20-pack costs $6.60, so each item costs $0.33. The 20-pack is the better buy.
- A 6-pack at $2.40 is $0.40 each, while a 10-pack at $4.50 is $0.45 each, so the smaller package wins even though it holds fewer items.
Making it real in class
Bring in two real shelf labels and ask students to compute both unit prices before revealing the sizes. Writing each unit price with dollars and cents and stating the comparison in a full sentence gives a clear record of the reasoning and is easy to check against the answer key.
Related generators: Double number lines · Percent of a number
Teacher tip 1
Divide total cost by item count before comparing packages of different sizes.
Teacher tip 2
Write both unit prices with dollars and cents, then choose the lower cost per item.
Teacher tip 3
Comparing total prices instead of per-item prices is the core error; a $6 bag is not cheaper than a $4 bag if it holds three times as much.
Teacher tip 4
The larger package is not automatically the better buy; the per-item amount decides.
Move among tables, equations, graphs, double number lines, and Better Buy decisions in one exact generator.
Return to ratio foundations →Practice simplified ratios, equivalent tables, unit rates, proportions, and percent proportions.
More skills in this set
Common questions
Are Better Buy answers rounded?
No. Generated totals are built from integer-cent unit prices, so each comparison has an exact cents-per-item answer.
Can the smaller package win?
Yes. The generator deliberately varies the lower unit price so students cannot rely on package size.
Which standard does this practice?
CCSS 7.RP.A.1 and 7.RP.A.3: compute unit rates and use them to solve a multistep real-world comparison problem.
Why compare cost per item instead of items per dollar?
Either works if used consistently, but cost per item matches how prices are usually quoted, so the lower number is the better buy.