• Business
  • Finance
  • Banking
  • Education
  • General
  • Law
  • Science
  • IT
  • English

Key Differences

Know the Differences & Comparisons

Difference Between Total and Marginal Utility

total vs marginal utilityThe main difference between total and marginal utility is that total utility refers to the total satisfaction received by the consumer from consuming different units of a commodity while the marginal utility, connotes the additional utility derived from the consumption of the extra unit of a commodity.

The consumer demand for a product is based on the utility derived from it. From product point of view, utility refers to the power of a commodity to satisfy consumer wants. While from consumer’s point of view, it is a psychological feeling of satisfaction or pleasure, which varies from individual to individual, derived by the consumer on consumption of the good or service. Two quantitative concepts related to the utility are total utility and marginal utility.

Content: Total Utility Vs Marginal Utility

  1. Comparison Chart
  2. Definition
  3. Key Differences
  4. Relationship
  5. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

Basis for ComparisonTotal UtilityMarginal Utility
MeaningTotal Utility means total benefit obtained by a person from consumption of goods and services.Marginal Utility means the amount of utility a person gains from the consumption of each successive unit of a commodity.
ResultSuffers from diminishing returns.Declines for each additional unit consumed.

Definition of Total Utility

The overall satisfaction derived by a consumer from consumption of various units of a good or service, at a certain point or over a period, is known as total utility or alternately called as “full satiety.” In simple terms, total utility is nothing but the aggregate of all marginal utilities of the individual units consumed. In general total utility increases, with each additional unit consumed. Total Utility can be expressed as:

TUn = Ux + Uy + Uz   or TU = ƩMU

Where TU = Total Utility
n = Number of commodities
Ux , Uy , Uz = Total respective utilities of consumption of goods
MU = Marginal Utility

Definition of Marginal Utility

The term ‘marginal’ refers to small change, and utility means satisfaction. So, as its name suggests marginal utility is the additional satisfaction received by a consumer, on the consumption of an extra unit of a commodity. It implies the addition to the total utility, due to the consumption of one more unit of a good or service. Marginal Utility is also known as “marginal satiety”. It can be expressed as:

marginal utilityWhere, MU = Marginal Utility
∆TUx = Change in Total Utility
∆Qx = Change in quantity consumed by 1 unit.

Alternative way of expressing marginal utility when (n) is the number of units consumed, can be given as:

MU of nth unit = TUn – TUn-1

Key Differences Between Total and Marginal Utility

The significant differences between total and marginal utility are explained in the points given below:

  1. Total Utility means overall benefit obtained by a person from consumption of goods and services. Marginal Utility means the amount of utility a person gets from the consumption of each successive unit of a commodity.
  2. In general, the total utility increases as more of a commodity is consumed. As against this, the marginal utility decreases with each additional unit of a commodity consumed.
  3. There is a certain saturation point of satisfaction, where the consumer no longer gains satisfaction with the consumption of the commodity, once that point has reached. This shows that total utility suffers from decreasing returns. Unlike marginal utility, which declines with each additional unit of the commodity consumed.

Relationship

Look at the below-given schedule and diagram, to understand three important relationships between total utility and marginal utility:

Units ConsumedTotal Utility (TU)Marginal Utility (MU)
13030
25626
37620
48812
5902
6900
786-4
878-8

marginal vs total utility curve

  • When the marginal utility is positive, total utility is increasing (from unit 1 to 5).
  • When the marginal utility is zero, total utility is maximum (At 6th unit).
  • When marginal utility is negative, total utility is decreasing (Unit 7 & 8)

Conclusion

After having a detailed discussion on the two microeconomics concepts, it is clear that marginal utility is the change in the total utility received from the consumption of a successive unit of a commodity. Total Utility is the summation of utility derived from each product.

You Might Also Like:

Difference Between Cardinal and Ordinal Utility income vs substitution effectDifference Between Income Effect and Substitution Effect Marginal Vs Absorption CostingDifference Between Marginal Costing and Absorption Costing Goods Vs ServicesDifference Between Goods and Services Customer vs ConsumerDifference Between Customer and Consumer demand-vs-supplythumbnailDifference Between Demand and Supply

Comments

  1. Varun V says

    June 11, 2017 at 7:42 pm

    Thank you very much!It was very informative!..Very happy!

    Reply
  2. KAZOBA DE WJ says

    July 19, 2017 at 11:56 pm

    It is good I appreciate it

    Reply
  3. Priyanka says

    July 24, 2017 at 1:03 am

    Knowledgeable article

    Reply
  4. RAJA says

    November 18, 2017 at 11:41 am

    Easy and very informative
    Thanks ?

    Reply
  5. Alayande says

    November 19, 2020 at 10:34 pm

    Very good

    Reply
  6. Asnakew Molla says

    June 17, 2021 at 6:49 pm

    Admired explanation.

    Reply
  7. Minhal says

    March 19, 2022 at 5:26 pm

    I love this ❤️ it was well explained

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top 5 Differences

  • Difference Between PERT and CPM
  • Difference Between Micro and Macro Economics
  • Difference Between Developed Countries and Developing Countries
  • Difference Between Management and Administration
  • Difference Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research



New Additions

  • Difference Between Deforestation, Reforestation and Afforestation
  • Difference Between Race and Ethnicity
  • Difference Between Customer Service and Customer Experience
  • Difference Between Human Capital and Human Development
  • Difference Between Systems Approach and Contingency Approach
  • Difference Between Industrial Relations and Employee Relations
  • Difference Between Introduction and Executive Summary
  • Difference Between Programmed and Non-programmed Decisions
  • Difference Between Depreciation and Devaluation of Currency
  • Difference Between Consumer Market and Business Market

Categories

  • Banking
  • Business
  • Education
  • English
  • Finance
  • General
  • IT
  • Law
  • Science
fb-follow youtube follow

Copyright © 2025 · Key Differences · Contact Us · About Us · Privacy