The latest numbers
| Rank | Food | Sep 2026 | Last month | Year ago | 1 year | Since Jan 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dried beans (pinto) | $0.52 | $0.50 | $0.50 | +2% | +16% |
| 2 | Eggs, large | $0.90 | $0.90 | $1.38 | −35% | +55% |
| 3 | Whole milk | $1.00 | $1.03 | $1.01 | −1% | +18% |
| 4 | Chicken breast, boneless | $1.24 | $1.23 | $1.23 | +1% | +29% |
| 5 | Pork chops | $1.32 | $1.33 | $1.36 | −3% | +14% |
| 6 | Cheddar cheese | $1.77 | $1.73 | $1.75 | +1% | +8% |
| 7 | Ground beef | $2.61 | $2.66 | $2.43 | +7% | +71% |
| 8 | Round steak | $2.77 | $2.73 | $2.63 | +5% | +51% |
What stands out?
- Dried beans (pinto) cost the least. They come to $0.52 for 30g of protein. The same amount from round steak costs $2.77, about 5.4 times as much.
- Ground beef had the largest rise. Its cost went up 7% in a year.
- Eggs had the largest drop. Its cost went down 35% in a year.
- The average is up 35% since Jan 2021. It peaked at $1.61 in Mar 2025.
How do we calculate this?
- Prices: monthly US city average prices from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Protein: grams per 100g of raw food, from USDA FoodData Central.
- Sum: the protein in the amount sold, then the cost of 30g of it.
- Average: a simple average of the 8 foods. It doesn’t reflect how much of each food people buy.
A dozen large eggs counts as 600g without shells, and a gallon of milk as about 3.9kg, using USDA weights. Dried beans use pinto beans, pork chops use boneless loin chops, ground beef uses 80% lean and steak uses top round. Protein values stay fixed, so only prices change from month to month.
What doesn’t this show?
- These are national averages, so your store and region will differ.
- The figures cover food only, so they leave out cooking time and waste.
- BLS doesn’t list tofu or lentils, so they aren’t here.
- 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.
Can I use this data?
Yes. You’re welcome to quote it or republish the chart with a link back to this page. Cite it as: Nourish & Strong, “Protein price tracker”, September 2026, nourishandstrong.com/protein-price-tracker
To embed the chart, copy this code:
<a href="https://nourishandstrong.com/protein-price-tracker"><img src="https://nourishandstrong.com/assets/protein-price-chart.svg" width="760" alt="Line chart of the average US cost of 30g of protein across 8 foods, from Nourish & Strong"></a>What should you do next?
See how these foods compare on calories and fiber in our cheapest protein foods guide, work out how much protein you need, or stretch cheaper protein with our high protein slow cooker recipes. If you’d like four weeks of high-protein meals planned for you, see The Menopause Meal Plan.
Sources
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Average price data. US city averages, Jan 2021 to Sep 2026.
- USDA. FoodData Central, SR Legacy dataset.