How to calculate the discount percentage between two prices in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=1-C2/B2Divide the sale price by the original and subtract from 1: =1-C2/B2, formatted as a percentage.
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
D2, filled down toD6 - Works in
- Every current version
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in D2, filled down to D6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
C2/B2 is the share of the original price you still pay: 59.99 of 79.99 is 75%. One minus that is the share taken off: 25%. The discount is always measured against the original price.
=1-C2/B2Result0.2500312539
C2$59.99The value in C2.
B2$79.99The value in B2.
C2/B20.7499687461The / operator divides.
1-C2/B20.2500312539The - operator subtracts.
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =1-C2/B2. We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =(B2-C2)/B2 | 25.0%, 20.1%, 25.0%… | Spells it out: the amount saved divided by the original price. Same result. |
| =(B2-C2)/C2 | 33.3%, 25.1%, 33.3%…Different result | Divides by the sale price, a common mistake. Gives a bigger number: the headphones show 33.3% instead of 25%. |
Common mistakes
- Dividing by the sale price instead of the original makes every discount look bigger.
- If prices were rounded (like 59.99), the discount comes out as 25.003%. Round it for display:
=ROUND(1-C2/B2,3).
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Calculate the discount percentage between two prices
D2, calculate the discount as a percentage of the original price, then fill down to D6.Questions
How do I calculate the amount saved?
Subtract: =B2-C2.
How do I find the sale price from a discount percentage?
Multiply by 1 minus the discount: =B2*(1-D2).
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.