Fiber per Dollar Calculator (and Protein per Dollar)

This is a fiber per dollar and protein per dollar calculator that comes pre-loaded. It isn't an empty box waiting for you to rebuild our spreadsheet. The 53-food fiber ranking and 49-food protein ranking are already loaded. Set a weekly goal, compare two foods, or give several foods part of your grocery budget and see what the basket buys. The cart can keep blocking aisle six, but at least the math is handled.

Loading 102 rows of beans, oats, eggs, and grocery-store reality...

The published ranking, in full

These are the same 102 rows the calculator above loads. Fiber per dollar covers 53 foods; protein per dollar covers 49. Grams per dollar is nutrient grams divided by the price of 100 g as purchased, after the edible-fraction adjustment.

Source: Daily Life Hacks grocery price study. Prices observed July 2026 at US national grocery prices. USDA FoodData Central is the primary nutrition source, but each row keeps its exact, proxy, or unresolved source status. The fiber audit has 42 exact matches, 9 close proxies, and 2 unresolved rows; proxy and unresolved values remain visible as recorded observations and are not used as verified winners or projections. Method described on the methodology page. Free to reuse with credit and a link.

Fiber per dollar: 53 foods ranked

Fiber grams per dollar for 53 US grocery foods, July 2026 prices, ranked cheapest first.
# Food Category Fiber g per $1 Fiber g per 100 g Price per 100 g Priced as Source match
1 Whole wheat flour Whole grains 77.8 10.7 $0.138 5 lb bag — $3.12 Exact USDA match Form: Whole-grain flour
2 Green split peas (dry) Dried beans & peas 71.0 22.2 $0.313 16 oz bag — $1.42 Exact USDA match Form: Mature seeds, raw
3 Pinto beans (dry) Dried beans & peas 70.8 15.5 $0.219 4 lb bag — $3.97 Exact USDA match Form: Mature seeds, raw
4 Black beans (dry) Dried beans & peas 58.1 15.5 $0.267 2 lb bag — $2.42 Exact USDA match Form: Mature seeds, raw
5 Pearled barley (dry) Whole grains 57.1 15.6 $0.273 16 oz bag — $1.24 Exact USDA match Form: Pearled, raw
6 Navy beans (dry) Dried beans & peas 52.0 15.3 $0.294 2 lb bag — $2.67 Exact USDA match Form: Mature seeds, raw
7 Popcorn kernels Whole grains 51.3 recorded, not verified 12.9 recorded, not verified $0.251 2 lb bag — $2.28 Unresolved — recorded only NOT TIED TO A PUBLISHED RECORD. USDA publishes no SR Legacy or Foundation entry for unpopped popcorn kernels; all 17 popcorn records in those data types are popped or prepared forms. The 12.9 g per 100 g here is DERIVED, not quoted: USDA FDC 167959 (Snacks, popcorn, air-popped) gives 14.5 g per 100 g of popped corn, which is converted to an as-sold kernel basis using the moisture difference between kernels and popped corn. Sensitivity band 12.8 to 13.0 g per 100 g; rank 7 across the whole band. Treat it as our calculation, not as a USDA figure.
8 Old-fashioned rolled oats Whole grains 35.8 10.1 $0.282 42 oz canister — $3.36 Exact USDA match Form: Regular or quick oats, dry
9 Whole wheat spaghetti Whole grains 35.4 9.2 $0.26 16 oz box — $1.18 Exact USDA match Form: Whole-wheat pasta, dry
10 Canned black beans Canned 34.4 6.9 $0.2 15.5 oz can — $0.88 Close USDA proxy Form: Mature seeds, canned, undrained (solids and liquids) The row prices the whole 15.5 oz can (439 g net) at edible_fraction 1.0, so the undrained solids-and-liquids basis is the only arithmetically coherent match, the same convention already used for Canned kidney beans. FDC 175188 is undrained: its water 75.6 g and protein 6.03 g/100 g sit below the drained-and-rinsed Foundation record FDC 2644285 (water 70.8 g, protein 6.91 g). The previous 5.6 value matched no official record. USDA's only canned black bean records, FDC 175188 and the low-sodium FDC 175238, both publish 6.9 g/100 g. Flagged proxy because USDA names the record by the black turtle cultivar rather than generically, and the undrained basis is inferred from the record's water and protein rather than stated in its description. The form-matched Foundation record FDC 2644285 publishes no dietary fiber value at all and so cannot support this row.
11 Chickpeas (dry) Dried beans & peas 33.8 12.2 $0.361 16 oz bag — $1.64 Exact USDA match Form: Mature seeds, raw
12 Brown lentils (dry) Dried beans & peas 33.7 10.7 $0.317 16 oz bag — $1.44 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
13 Chia seeds Nuts & seeds 33.1 34.4 $1.041 32 oz bag — $9.44 Exact USDA match Form: Dried
14 Bran flakes cereal Whole grains 30.1 18.3 $0.608 17.3 oz box — $2.98 Close USDA proxy Form: Ready-to-eat POST Bran Flakes The 18.3 g fiber per 100 g is from a brand-specific POST record, while the priced cereal was Great Value. USDA publishes no generic bran-flakes record, and fiber in bran flakes varies by brand formulation, so the brand substitution keeps this a proxy.
15 Whole flaxseed Nuts & seeds 28.5 27.3 $0.958 22 oz bag — $5.98 Exact USDA match Form: Flaxseed
16 Red lentils (dry) Dried beans & peas 25.3 10.8 $0.427 16 oz bag — $1.94 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
17 Bulgur wheat (dry) Whole grains 24.4 12.5 $0.513 24 oz bag — $3.49 Exact USDA match Form: Dry
18 Oat bran (dry) Whole grains 22.5 15.4 $0.684 18 oz bag — $3.49 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
19 Canned chickpeas Canned 19.7 4.4 $0.223 15.5 oz can — $0.98 Exact USDA match Form: Mature seeds, canned, solids and liquids The row prices the whole 15.5 oz can (439 g net) at edible_fraction 1.0, so the solids-and-liquids record is the correct basis; the drained records FDC 173800 (6.4) and FDC 173801 (6.3) apply to a drained weight the row does not use. The previous 4.8 value matched no official record. The form-matched Foundation record FDC 2644288 publishes no dietary fiber value at all and so cannot support this row.
20 Canned kidney beans Canned 19.3 4.3 $0.223 15.5 oz can — $0.98 Exact USDA match Form: All types, mature seeds, canned
21 Frozen green peas Frozen vegetables 17.6 4.5 $0.256 32 oz bag — $2.32 Exact USDA match Form: Frozen, unprepared
22 Brown rice (dry) Whole grains 17.5 3.6 $0.206 2 lb bag — $1.87 Exact USDA match Form: Long-grain, raw
23 100% whole wheat bread Whole grains 17.3 6.0 $0.347 20 oz loaf — $1.97 Exact USDA match Form: Whole-wheat, commercially prepared
24 Carrots (whole, bagged) Fresh vegetables 16.1 2.8 $0.174 2 lb bag — $1.58 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
25 Green cabbage Fresh vegetables 14.6 2.5 $0.172 per lb — $0.78 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
26 Sweet potatoes Fresh vegetables 13.9 3.0 $0.216 per lb — $0.98 Exact USDA match Form: Raw, unprepared
27 Dry roasted peanuts Nuts & seeds 13.7 8.4 $0.612 16 oz jar — $2.78 Close USDA proxy Form: All types, dry-roasted, with salt The price record does not identify the salt variant, so the record is not uniquely identified. The ambiguity does not affect this dataset: the with-salt record FDC 174262 and the without-salt record FDC 173806 both publish 8.4 g fiber per 100 g and are identical on every proximate except sodium (410 mg vs 6 mg). The salted record is cited as the more common retail form.
28 Sunflower seed kernels Nuts & seeds 13.1 8.6 $0.656 16 oz bag — $2.98 Exact USDA match Form: Sunflower seed kernels, dried
29 Bananas Fresh fruit 11.6 2.6 $0.143 per lb — $0.65 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
30 Peanut butter Nuts & seeds 11.4 5.0 $0.438 40 oz jar — $4.97 Close USDA proxy Form: Smooth style, with salt The price record does not identify the salt variant, so the record is not uniquely identified. The ambiguity does not affect this dataset: the with-salt record FDC 174266 and the without-salt record FDC 172470 both publish 5.0 g fiber per 100 g and are identical on every proximate except sodium (426 mg vs 17 mg). The salted record is cited as the more common retail form.
31 Frozen green beans Frozen vegetables 10.8 2.6 $0.24 32 oz bag — $2.18 Exact USDA match Form: Frozen, all styles, unprepared Corrected from 2.7, which is the raw fresh record FDC 169961 (Beans, snap, green, raw); the bag is priced as sold, so the frozen unprepared record is the correct basis.
32 Quinoa (dry) Whole grains 10.6 7.0 $0.658 2 lb bag — $5.97 Exact USDA match Form: Uncooked
33 Avocado Fresh fruit 10.4 6.7 $0.475 each (~7 oz) — $0.95 Exact USDA match Form: Raw, all commercial varieties
34 Canned pumpkin Canned 9.9 2.9 $0.292 15 oz can — $1.24 Close USDA proxy Form: Canned, without salt Canned pumpkin, not fresh (FDC 168448, 0.5) and not pumpkin pie mix (FDC 169273, 8.3). The with-salt record FDC 170527 publishes the identical 2.9 g/100 g, so the fiber figure does not depend on the salt variant; the salt variant of the priced product was not verified.
35 Frozen broccoli florets Frozen vegetables 9.5 3.0 $0.316 32 oz bag — $2.87 Close USDA proxy Form: Frozen, chopped, unprepared USDA publishes no florets cut. Both frozen unprepared cuts, chopped FDC 169968 and spears FDC 169970, publish the identical 3.0 g/100 g, so the cut style does not change the figure; the bag is priced as sold, so the unprepared basis is used rather than cooked/boiled.
36 Almonds Nuts & seeds 8.8 12.5 $1.425 16 oz bag — $6.47 Exact USDA match Form: Almonds
37 Frozen chopped spinach Frozen vegetables 8.4 2.9 $0.347 12 oz bag — $1.18 Exact USDA match Form: Frozen, chopped or leaf, unprepared
38 Frozen shelled edamame Frozen vegetables 8.3 recorded, not verified 5.2 recorded, not verified $0.624 12 oz bag — $2.12 Unresolved — recorded only Form mismatch. The 5.2 value comes from FDC 168411 'Edamame, frozen, prepared', which is the COOKED record, while the priced 12 oz bag is sold frozen and unprepared. The form-matching record, FDC 168410 'Edamame, frozen, unprepared', reports 4.8 g fiber per 100 g, not 5.2, and that is the record the protein dataset already cites for this identical package. Cooked and unprepared are not interchangeable, and the published 5.2 cannot be tied to a form-matching record, so this row is unresolved.
39 Prunes (dried plums) Dried fruit 8.1 7.1 $0.877 16 oz bag — $3.98 Exact USDA match Form: Dried, uncooked
40 Pears Fresh fruit 8.0 3.1 $0.348 per lb — $1.58 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
41 Chopped kale (bagged) Fresh vegetables 7.5 4.1 $0.546 16 oz bag — $2.48 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
42 Apples (gala) Fresh fruit 7.3 2.3 $0.282 per lb — $1.28 Exact USDA match Form: Raw, gala, with skin Corrected from 2.4, which is the generic record FDC 171688 (Apples, raw, with skin); the cultivar-specific gala record is the match for the priced product.
43 Yellow onions Fresh vegetables 7.1 1.7 $0.24 per lb — $1.09 Close USDA proxy Form: Raw Generic raw onion; SR Legacy has no yellow raw record, only Onions, yellow, sauteed (FDC 170004), which is the wrong form. Note: edible_fraction is 1.0 here while other trimmed produce rows carry a refuse adjustment; refuse is not published on the portal-data endpoint, so this was left unchanged rather than guessed.
44 Brussels sprouts Fresh vegetables 7.0 3.8 $0.546 per lb — $2.48 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
45 Russet potatoes (with skin) Fresh vegetables 6.6 1.3 $0.196 per lb — $0.89 Exact USDA match Form: Flesh and skin, raw
46 Raisins Dried fruit 6.3 3.7 $0.589 20 oz canister — $3.34 Exact USDA match Form: Dark, seedless The official April 2026 Foundation value is 3.679 g/100 g, which rounds to the dataset's one-decimal 3.7.
47 Oranges (navel) Fresh fruit 6.2 2.2 $0.26 per lb — $1.18 Exact USDA match Form: Raw, navels Corrected from 2.4, which is the generic record FDC 169097 (Oranges, raw, all commercial varieties); the navel-specific record is the match. edible_fraction 0.73 left unchanged: refuse is not published on the portal-data endpoint, so it could not be re-verified.
48 Fresh broccoli crowns Fresh vegetables 6.1 2.6 $0.427 per lb — $1.94 Close USDA proxy Form: Raw The USDA record is generic raw broccoli, whose 2.6 g fiber per 100 g is a whole-head composite including the thick lower stalk; the priced product was crowns, which are florets plus a short stem. USDA publishes no crowns-specific record, so the row stays a proxy.
49 Chopped dates Dried fruit 6.1 8.0 $1.313 8 oz bag — $2.98 Close USDA proxy Form: Deglet Noor The 8.0 g fiber per 100 g is the Deglet Noor record, but the priced 8 oz bag says only 'chopped dates' without naming the variety. Variety matters here: USDA's Medjool record reports 6.7 g fiber per 100 g, so an unnamed-variety bag cannot be pinned to 8.0, and the row stays a proxy.
50 Raspberries Fresh fruit 4.5 6.5 $1.459 6 oz box — $2.48 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
51 Blackberries Fresh fruit 4.0 5.3 $1.341 6 oz box — $2.28 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
52 Strawberries Fresh fruit 3.4 2.0 $0.546 16 oz box — $2.48 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
53 Blueberries Fresh fruit 2.5 2.4 $0.955 pint (11 oz) — $2.98 Exact USDA match Form: Raw

Full write-up: the fiber per dollar study. Raw data: fiber-per-dollar-2026.csv.

Protein per dollar: 49 foods ranked

Protein grams per dollar for 49 US grocery foods, July 2026 prices, ranked cheapest first.
# Food Category Protein g per $1 Protein g per 100 g Price per 100 g Priced as Source match
1 Pinto beans (dry) Dried beans & lentils 97.9 21.42 $0.219 4 lb bag — $3.97 Exact USDA match Form: Mature seeds, raw
2 Whole wheat flour Grains & pantry 96.0 13.21 $0.138 5 lb bag — $3.12 Exact USDA match Form: Whole-grain flour
3 Black beans (dry) Dried beans & lentils 81.0 21.6 $0.267 2 lb bag — $2.42 Exact USDA match Form: Mature seeds, raw
4 Brown lentils (dry) Dried beans & lentils 77.7 24.63 $0.317 16 oz bag — $1.44 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
5 Navy beans (dry) Dried beans & lentils 75.9 22.33 $0.294 2 lb bag — $2.67 Exact USDA match Form: Mature seeds, raw
6 Green split peas (dry) Dried beans & lentils 73.9 23.12 $0.313 16 oz bag — $1.42 Exact USDA match Form: Mature seeds, raw
7 Chickpeas (dry) Dried beans & lentils 56.7 20.47 $0.361 16 oz bag — $1.64 Exact USDA match Form: Mature seeds, raw
8 Red lentils (dry) Dried beans & lentils 56.0 23.91 $0.427 16 oz bag — $1.94 Exact USDA match Form: Raw
9 Whole wheat spaghetti Grains & pantry 53.4 13.87 $0.26 16 oz box — $1.18 Exact USDA match Form: Whole-wheat pasta, dry
10 Peanut butter Nuts & seeds 50.7 22.21 $0.438 40 oz jar — $4.97 Close USDA proxy Form: Smooth style, with salt The priced 40 oz jar is a standard salted commercial peanut butter, so the with-salt record is cited; the salt variant is not identified by the price record, but the without-salt record FDC 172470 reports the identical 22.21 g protein per 100 g (both round to 22.2 in the FDC portal), so the ambiguity does not affect this row's protein value. The two records differ only in sodium (426 vs 17 mg per 100 g).
11 Chicken drumsticks (bone-in) Meat & poultry 50.3 18.08 $0.241 5 lb bag — $5.46 Exact USDA match Form: Drumstick, meat and skin, raw
12 White rice (long grain, dry) Grains & pantry 48.0 7.13 $0.149 5 lb bag — $3.37 Close USDA proxy Form: Long-grain, regular, raw The enriched record is cited because US retail long-grain white rice is normally sold enriched, but the price record does not state enrichment; the unenriched record FDC 169756 reports the identical 7.13 g protein per 100 g, so the ambiguity does not affect this row's protein value. Enrichment adds B vitamins and iron, not protein.
13 Spaghetti (regular, dry) Grains & pantry 47.7 13.04 $0.273 16 oz box — $1.24 Close USDA proxy Form: Dry pasta, enriched USDA publishes no spaghetti-specific dry pasta record, so the generic dry pasta record is used, the same convention as the whole wheat spaghetti row (FDC 169738). The enriched record is cited because US retail dry semolina pasta is normally enriched, but the price record does not state enrichment; the unenriched record FDC 168927 reports the identical 13.04 g protein per 100 g, so the ambiguity does not affect this row's protein value.
14 Old-fashioned rolled oats Grains & pantry 46.6 13.15 $0.282 42 oz canister — $3.36 Exact USDA match Form: Regular or quick oats, dry
15 Dry roasted peanuts Nuts & seeds 39.8 24.35 $0.612 16 oz jar — $2.78 Close USDA proxy Form: Dry-roasted, with salt The priced 16 oz jar is a standard salted dry roasted peanut product, so the with-salt record is cited; the salt variant is not identified by the price record, but the without-salt record FDC 173806 reports the identical 24.35 g protein per 100 g, so the ambiguity does not affect this row's protein value. The two records differ only in sodium (410 vs 6 mg per 100 g).
16 Brown rice (dry) Grains & pantry 36.6 7.54 $0.206 2 lb bag — $1.87 Exact USDA match Form: Long-grain, raw
17 Pearled barley (dry) Grains & pantry 36.3 9.91 $0.273 16 oz bag — $1.24 Exact USDA match Form: Pearled, raw
18 100% whole wheat bread Grains & pantry 35.8 12.45 $0.347 20 oz loaf — $1.97 Exact USDA match Form: Whole-wheat, commercially prepared
19 Eggs (large) Eggs & dairy 34.4 12.56 $0.365 1 dozen (600 g edible) — $2.19 Exact USDA match Form: Whole, raw, fresh
20 Sunflower seed kernels Nuts & seeds 31.7 20.78 $0.656 16 oz bag — $2.98 Exact USDA match Form: Sunflower seed kernels, dried
21 Canned black beans Canned beans 30.1 6.03 $0.2 15.5 oz can — $0.88 Close USDA proxy Form: Mature seeds, canned The regular-sodium record is cited because the priced can is not labelled low sodium, but the price record does not state the sodium variant; the low-sodium record FDC 175238 reports the identical 6.03 g protein per 100 g, so the ambiguity does not affect this row's protein value (the records differ only in sodium, 384 vs 138 mg per 100 g). The record names the black turtle cultivar rather than the generic label wording. Its 1 cup = 240 g portion and 75.6 g per 100 g water content indicate an undrained solids-and-liquids basis, which is what the 439 g total can weight in this row assumes.
22 Mozzarella (low-moisture part-skim) Eggs & dairy 30.1 23.75 $0.789 16 oz block — $3.58 Exact USDA match Form: Low-moisture, part-skim
23 Whole milk Eggs & dairy 29.1 3.15 $0.108 1 gallon — $4.22 Exact USDA match Form: Whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D The BLS price series APU0000709112 is titled Milk, fresh, whole, fortified, per gal., so the price basis itself identifies the fortified product and selects the with-added-vitamin-D record over FDC 172217 (without added vitamin A and vitamin D). Both records report the identical 3.15 g protein per 100 g, so the earlier variant ambiguity never affected this row's protein value.
24 Chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) Meat & poultry 27.7 19.66 $0.709 per lb — $3.22 Exact USDA match Form: Thigh, meat only, raw
25 Greek yogurt (plain, nonfat) Eggs & dairy 27.5 10.19 $0.37 32 oz tub — $3.36 Exact USDA match Form: Plain, nonfat
26 Rotisserie chicken (whole, cooked) Meat & poultry 26.7 28.93 $0.585 whole bird (36 oz, cooked) — $5.97 Close USDA proxy Form: Meat only, cooked, roasted The USDA nutrient record is roasted chicken meat only; the whole rotisserie bird was used only for price and edible-yield math.
27 Cottage cheese (4%) Eggs & dairy 26.3 11.12 $0.422 24 oz tub — $2.87 Exact USDA match Form: Creamed, large or small curd Creamed cottage cheese is the full-fat product; the record's own total fat of 4.3 g/100 g corresponds to the priced 4% milkfat label, and USDA's lowfat variants are separate records that name 1% or 2%.
28 Whole chicken (raw) Meat & poultry 25.3 18.6 $0.449 per lb — $2.04 Exact USDA match Form: Meat and skin, raw Both numbers in this row trace to record 171447 itself: the 18.6 g protein per 100 g, and the 0.61 edible fraction, which is the record's own published yield of 276 g meat and skin per 453.6 g ready-to-cook bird. Raw record matched to a raw priced item, so this is an exact edible-portion match on the same convention as the bone-in drumsticks row (FDC 172373).
29 Pork shoulder butt roast (boneless) Meat & poultry 25.2 17.42 $0.692 per lb — $3.14 Close USDA proxy Form: Boston butt blade steak, lean and fat, raw The value comes from a raw Boston-butt blade-STEAK record, while the priced product was a boneless butt ROAST. The record's own Common Name attribute reads 'URMIS #3186, Pork shoulder chop, Shoulder blade steak, Pork steak', confirming it is a steak record. SR Legacy publishes no raw Boston-butt roast record (the blade-roast entries such as NDB 10087 exist only as cooked), so this is the closest raw same-primal, same-trim record available and the row stays a proxy.
30 Chicken breast (boneless, skinless) Meat & poultry 24.5 22.5 $0.919 per lb — $4.17 Exact USDA match Form: Breast, skinless, boneless, meat only, raw
31 TVP (textured vegetable protein) Soy & plant proteins 23.4 52.17 $2.226 10 oz bag — $6.3 Close USDA proxy Form: Dry textured defatted soy flour, as sold NOT A USDA RECORD. USDA FoodData Central publishes no textured vegetable protein entry, so this row is sourced to the manufacturer label of the exact priced product. The Bob's Red Mill product page was fetched 2026-08-02 and states serving size 1/4 cup (23g) with 12g protein, which is 52.17 g per 100 g. The previous 50.0 g per 100 g figure matched neither that label nor any USDA record and was unsupported; it has been corrected to 52.17 and protein_g_per_dollar recomputed from 22.5 to 23.4, which moves this row above canned kidney beans. The label rounds protein to the nearest gram, so the underlying value lies roughly between 50.0 and 54.3 g per 100 g. USDA's nearest analogue, Soy flour, defatted (FDC 174275) at 51.5 g per 100 g, corroborates the magnitude but is untextured flour and is not cited as this row's source.
32 Canned kidney beans Canned beans 23.4 5.22 $0.223 15.5 oz can — $0.98 Exact USDA match Form: All types, mature seeds, canned
33 Canned tuna (chunk light, in water) Fish (canned & frozen) 22.4 19.44 $0.867 5 oz can (113 g drained) — $0.98 Exact USDA match Form: Canned in water, drained solids
34 Pork loin chops (boneless) Meat & poultry 22.3 21.55 $0.967 per lb — $4.39 Exact USDA match Form: Top-loin chop, boneless, lean and fat, raw
35 Canned chickpeas Canned beans 22.0 4.92 $0.223 15.5 oz can — $0.98 Close USDA proxy Form: Mature seeds, canned, solids and liquids The regular-sodium record is cited because the priced can is not labelled low sodium, but the price record does not state the sodium variant; the low-sodium record FDC 175250 reports the identical 4.92 g protein per 100 g, so the ambiguity does not affect this row's protein value (the records differ only in sodium, 278 vs 132 mg per 100 g). The record is explicitly a solids-and-liquids basis and publishes a 1 can (total can contents) = 448 g portion, confirming the undrained whole-can basis assumed by the 439 g package weight in this row.
36 Canned pink salmon Fish (canned & frozen) 21.6 19.68 $0.909 14.75 oz can — $3.8 Exact USDA match Form: Canned, total can contents
37 Quinoa (dry) Grains & pantry 21.5 14.12 $0.658 2 lb bag — $5.97 Exact USDA match Form: Uncooked
38 Frozen tilapia fillets Fish (canned & frozen) 20.9 20.08 $0.963 4 lb bag — $17.47 Close USDA proxy Form: Raw The USDA record is generic raw tilapia and does not state frozen storage; the frozen fillet package supplied the price. The record does publish a 116 g fillet portion, so the fillet cut is on record even though the frozen form is not. Retail frozen fillets are commonly glazed or phosphate-treated, which the fresh raw record does not reflect, so the row stays a proxy.
39 Frozen green peas Frozen vegetables 20.4 5.22 $0.256 32 oz bag — $2.32 Exact USDA match Form: Frozen, unprepared
40 Sardines (canned in oil, drained) Fish (canned & frozen) 20.2 24.62 $1.217 3.75 oz can (92 g drained) — $1.12 Exact USDA match Form: Canned in oil, drained solids with bone
41 Cheddar cheese Eggs & dairy 18.2 22.87 $1.253 per lb — $5.69 Exact USDA match Form: Cheddar
42 Frozen shelled edamame Soy & plant proteins 18.0 11.22 $0.624 12 oz bag — $2.12 Exact USDA match Form: Frozen, unprepared
43 Ground turkey (93/7) Meat & poultry 15.6 18.73 $1.203 1 lb roll — $5.46 Exact USDA match Form: Raw, 93% lean / 7% fat
44 Almonds Nuts & seeds 14.8 21.15 $1.425 16 oz bag — $6.47 Exact USDA match Form: Almonds
45 Tofu (extra firm) Soy & plant proteins 13.6 9.98 $0.736 14 oz block — $2.92 Exact USDA match Form: Extra firm, prepared with nigari
46 Tempeh Soy & plant proteins 13.2 20.29 $1.533 8 oz pack — $3.48 Exact USDA match Form: Tempeh
47 Ground beef (80/20) Meat & poultry 11.5 17.17 $1.487 per lb — $6.75 Exact USDA match Form: Raw, 80% lean / 20% fat
48 Ground beef (93/7) Meat & poultry 11.0 20.85 $1.899 per lb — $8.62 Exact USDA match Form: Raw, 93% lean / 7% fat
49 Bacon Meat & poultry 9.2 13.66 $1.478 per lb — $6.71 Exact USDA match Form: Cured bacon, unprepared

Full write-up: the protein per dollar study. Raw data: protein-per-dollar-2026.csv.