India is a tropical country where skin diseases like fungal infections, pyoderma, acne, scabies etc. are very common. A large number of dermatological preparations are available in Indian market but studies on the price variation between commonly used topical brands are lacking. Hence the present study was carried out to obtain information on the price variation among different brands of anti-infective, anti-acne & analgesic topical preparations present in India. Information about dosage forms and prices of different brands of commonly used topical preparations was obtained from Current Index of Medical Specialties & Drug Update. Number of brands, percentage price variation, cost ratio etc for various drugs and combinations were calculated. There were total 206 brands manufactured by 52 different pharmaceutical companies of 35 drugs, out of which 24 showed more than 50% cost variation. Largest price variations were seen with mupirocin 2% cream (408.33 %), tazarotene 0.05% gel (183.8%) and diclofenac diethylammonium 1% gel (650 %) in single drug categories & gentamicin 0.1% + clobetasol 0.05% cream (308.82 %) among all fixed dose combinations. Least variation was observed for salicylic acid 2% foam (4.76 %) and terbinafine 1% + ofloxacin 0.75% + ornidazole 2% + clobetasol 0.05% cream (5.69 %). Cost of drugs play a crucial role in treatment outcome by directly influencing the patient compliance. Hence, it is essential to train physicians about cost variations among different brands available in the market so that they can reduce financial burden of patients without compromising the effectiveness of therapy.