The short answer: at September 2026 US average prices, dried beans are the cheapest of 8 common foods at about $0.52 for 30g of protein. Eggs cost about $0.90, whole milk $1.00 and boneless chicken breast $1.24. Ground beef costs $2.61, about twice as much as chicken breast.
Price tags don’t tell you much on their own. A pound of beef and a dozen eggs give you very different amounts of protein. So we worked out what the same amount of protein costs in each food. We used 30g because studies suggest about 25 to 30g at a meal works well for muscle in older adults.
Which protein foods are cheapest?
| Rank | Food | US average price | Cost of 30g protein | Calories in 30g protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dried beans (pinto) | $1.67 per lb | $0.52 | 486 |
| 2 | Eggs, large | $2.27 per dozen | $0.90 | 340 |
| 3 | Whole milk | $4.11 per gallon | $1.00 | 581 |
| 4 | Chicken breast, boneless | $4.20 per lb | $1.24 | 160 |
| 5 | Pork chops | $4.22 per lb | $1.32 | 286 |
| 6 | Cheddar cheese | $6.13 per lb | $1.77 | 528 |
| 7 | Ground beef | $6.79 per lb | $2.61 | 443 |
| 8 | Round steak | $9.84 per lb | $2.77 | 162 |
Our calculation from September 2026 BLS prices and USDA nutrition data, for raw foods. Download the data (CSV).
What stands out?
- Dried beans win easily. They cost less than half as much as chicken breast for the same protein, and that much also brings about 22g of fiber.
- Eggs and milk are close. Both come in around a dollar for 30g, though milk needs far more calories to get there.
- Chicken breast is the leanest bargain. It has about 160 calories per 30g of protein, the lowest here, just ahead of steak, at $1.24.
- Ground beef costs almost as much as steak. It’s $2.61 against $2.77, because it’s fattier, so there’s less protein in each pound.
How can you spend less on protein?
- Swap one meat dinner a week for beans. It’s the single biggest saving on this list.
- Use eggs at breakfast. Here are nine high protein breakfast ideas with the grams for each.
- Choose chicken breast over ground beef when the recipe allows it.
- Build meals around one cheap protein, like this one-tray salmon and white bean dinner, which uses beans to stretch the fish.
How did we calculate this?
- Prices: US city average prices for September 2026, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Protein: grams per 100g of raw food, from USDA FoodData Central.
- Sum: protein in the amount sold, then the cost of 30g of it.
Assumptions: a dozen large eggs is 600g without shells, and a gallon of milk is about 3.9kg, using USDA weights. We matched each price to the closest USDA entry, so dried beans use pinto beans, pork chops use boneless loin chops, ground beef uses 80% lean and steak uses top round.
What doesn’t this show?
- These are national averages. Your store, brand and region will differ, and prices change every month.
- Food-only costs. Beans need soaking and cooking time, and the prices don’t include that.
- Some good options are missing. BLS doesn’t list tofu or lentils, and it has no current average price for tuna or peanut butter. It does price yogurt, but protein varies too much between types to compare fairly.
- Pork chop prices cover all chops, including bone-in, so that row is likely a little low.
- Cost isn’t the same as healthy. If you have kidney disease or have been told to limit protein, talk to your doctor before eating more.
Also worth reading: what to keep in a home emergency kit.
Your next step
Pick one meal this week and swap in a cheaper protein from the top of the table. If you’d like four weeks of high-protein meals planned for you, see The Menopause Meal Plan.
Turn cheap protein into dinner
A free week of easy meals
Seven days of breakfasts, lunches and dinners, most ready in 30 minutes, with one grocery list for the week.
Quick questions
What is the cheapest source of protein?
Of the 8 common US foods we compared, dried beans were cheapest at about $0.52 for 30g of protein, using September 2026 average prices. Eggs were next at about $0.90.
Is chicken or beef cheaper for protein?
Chicken breast. At September 2026 prices, 30g of protein costs about $1.24 from boneless chicken breast and $2.61 from ground beef.
Are eggs a cheap source of protein?
Yes. At about $2.27 a dozen, 30g of protein from eggs costs about $0.90, which is second on our list.
Which cheap protein has the fewest calories?
Chicken breast, at about 160 calories for 30g of protein, among the affordable options we compared.
How much protein is 30g?
A cooked chicken breast portion of 120g (4oz) has about 36g, and a 140g (5oz) cooked salmon fillet has about 30g.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you’re worried about your pain, please talk to your doctor.
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Average price data. September 2026 US city averages.
- USDA. FoodData Central, SR Legacy dataset.
- Nourish & Strong. Protein cost data, September 2026 (CSV).