Which is cheaper for protein, canned tuna (in water) or chicken breast (raw)?

Chicken breast (raw), at $0.040 per gram of protein against $0.042 for canned tuna (in water) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $1.20 vs $1.27.

Which has more protein per calorie, canned tuna (in water) or chicken breast (raw)?

Canned tuna (in water), with 22.4 g protein per 100 kcal against 18.8 g for chicken breast (raw), 1.2x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.

Which should I buy, canned tuna (in water) or chicken breast (raw)?

Depends on your constraint. On a tight budget with room in your calories, chicken breast (raw) is cheaper per gram of protein. On a calorie-capped cut, canned tuna (in water) gives you 1.2x more protein per calorie and is usually worth its $0.042/g price.

Protein head-to-heads · July 2026

Canned tuna (in water) vs Chicken breast (raw): which protein is cheaper?

USDA macros joined to current US grocery prices, reduced to the two numbers that decide it: dollars per gram of protein, and protein per calorie.

Chicken breast (raw) is 1.1x cheaper per gram of protein ($0.040/g vs $0.042/g), while Canned tuna (in water) is the leaner choice at 22.4 g protein per 100 kcal against 18.8 g. Budget favours one, a calorie cap favours the other.

Food	$/g protein	30 g protein costs	You need	kcal that come with it	Protein/100 kcal
Canned tuna (in water)	$0.042	$1.27	115 g	134 kcal	22.4 g
Chicken breast (raw)	$0.040	$1.20	133 g	160 kcal	18.8 g

Full macros, per serving

Food (per serving)	Price	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Canned tuna (in water) (100 g)	$1.10	116	26 g	0 g	1 g
Chicken breast (raw) (100 g)	$0.90	120	22.5 g	0 g	2.6 g

A week of protein from each

Hitting a common 100 g/day protein target from chicken breast (raw) alone costs $28.00 a week; from canned tuna (in water) alone, $29.62. That is a gap of $1.62 every week for the same protein. In practice you mix sources: the planner computes the cheapest mix for your exact target and calorie cap, live from the same dataset.

Budget says one, calories say the other

Chicken breast (raw) costs $0.040 per gram of protein against $0.042, so it saves $1.62 a week at a 100 g/day target. Canned tuna (in water) answers a different question: 22.4 g of protein per 100 kcal against 18.8 g, which is what matters once calories, not dollars, are the thing you run out of first.

Compare against other foods

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper for protein, canned tuna (in water) or chicken breast (raw)?: Chicken breast (raw), at $0.040 per gram of protein against $0.042 for canned tuna (in water) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $1.20 vs $1.27.
Which has more protein per calorie, canned tuna (in water) or chicken breast (raw)?: Canned tuna (in water), with 22.4 g protein per 100 kcal against 18.8 g for chicken breast (raw), 1.2x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.
Which should I buy, canned tuna (in water) or chicken breast (raw)?: Depends on your constraint. On a tight budget with room in your calories, chicken breast (raw) is cheaper per gram of protein. On a calorie-capped cut, canned tuna (in water) gives you 1.2x more protein per calorie and is usually worth its $0.042/g price.

Prices are representative US grocery prices as of July 2026; your store will differ. Educational content, not medical or dietary advice. Dataset: free download, CC-BY.