Original research
We priced the groceries and menus. You get the spreadsheet.
These aren't recycled lists wearing a lab coat. Grocery nutrition generally comes from USDA FoodData Central, and restaurant rows use chain-published nutrition. Three published datasets carry the same recorded TVP product-label value; USDA publishes no textured vegetable protein record, so that row cites the manufacturer's own label and says so. DIAAS adjustments cite row-level literature or the FAO 2013 report. We publish the CSV and show the math. Sometimes the result is useful. Sometimes bacon owes everyone an apology.
The six core studies
53 foods ranked
Fiber per Dollar
We matched USDA fiber data to July 2026 grocery prices. The dry goods aisle won by an almost rude margin.
Read the study →49 foods ranked
Protein per Dollar
Beans, lentils, meat, dairy, and everything in between, compared with the same as-purchased rules.
Read the study →5 complete day scenarios
What 30 Grams of Fiber Costs
Five ways to reach roughly 30 grams, from pantry staples to a $14.42 restaurant day.
Read the study →5 complete day scenarios
What 50 Grams of Protein Costs
Five 50-gram days priced meal by meal. The restaurant version cost about 16 times more.
Read the study →25 foods adjusted
Protein per Dollar, Adjusted for Quality
The cheap-protein ranking changes when digestibility and amino acid quality enter the spreadsheet.
Read the study →30 menu items ranked
Fast Food Protein per Dollar
A dated menu-price snapshot showing which orders buy protein and which mostly buy a logo.
Read the study →Official numbers, translated into English
Government documents are great at supplying definitions and less great at keeping you awake. These explainers handle the translation without pretending a federal table is a personality.
What the USDA Thrifty Food Plan Actually Costs
The government's low-cost food benchmark, translated into weekly and monthly household numbers without the agency-speak fog machine.
Where the 28g Fiber and 50g Protein Targets Come From
What FDA Daily Values mean, what they don't mean, and why those two numbers appear across our cost studies.
Public files
Don't trust a chart because it's orange.
Download the rows, check the prices, and find the exact place where we divided. “Trust me” remains a terrible spreadsheet column.
How we check the math
USDA grocery records, chain-published restaurant nutrition, product-label exceptions, DIAAS literature and FAO citations, dated prices, and correction notes all live on one page. The boring details are where a ranking earns the right to exist.
Daily Life Hacks founder and editor David Miller runs the data checks. Read who is responsible for the work, including the site's expertise limits and correction process.