Which is cheaper for protein, canned tuna (in water) or ground beef 90/10 (raw)?

Canned tuna (in water), at $0.042 per gram of protein against $0.055 for ground beef 90/10 (raw) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $1.27 vs $1.65.

Which has more protein per calorie, canned tuna (in water) or ground beef 90/10 (raw)?

Canned tuna (in water), with 22.4 g protein per 100 kcal against 11.4 g for ground beef 90/10 (raw), 2.0x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.

Which should I buy, canned tuna (in water) or ground beef 90/10 (raw)?

Canned tuna (in water) wins on both axes here: cheaper per gram of protein and more protein per calorie. Unless taste, prep or the rest of your macros say otherwise, it is the better default.

Protein head-to-heads · July 2026

Canned tuna (in water) vs Ground beef 90/10 (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.

Canned tuna (in water) is 1.3x cheaper per gram of protein ($0.042/g vs $0.055/g), while it also carries more protein per calorie (22.4 g vs 11.4 g per 100 kcal), so it wins on both axes.

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
Ground beef 90/10 (raw)	$0.055	$1.65	150 g	264 kcal	11.4 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
Ground beef 90/10 (raw) (100 g)	$1.10	176	20 g	0 g	10 g

A week of protein from each

Hitting a common 100 g/day protein target from canned tuna (in water) alone costs $29.62 a week; from ground beef 90/10 (raw) alone, $38.50. That is a gap of $8.88 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.

This one is not a trade-off

Canned tuna (in water) is both the cheaper protein ($0.042/g against $0.055/g) and the leaner one (22.4 g protein per 100 kcal against 11.4 g). Most matchups force you to pick a side. This one does not, so ground beef 90/10 (raw) has to win on taste, prep time or what else it brings to the meal, because it is not winning on the numbers.

One of these is a convenience purchase

Ground beef 90/10 (raw) ranks #23 of 25 on cost per gram of protein, near the bottom. It is not a bad food, it is an expensive way to buy protein: $1.65 per 30 g against $1.27 for canned tuna (in water). If it is in your basket for the protein, swap it. If it is there because it travels well or you enjoy it, that is a different and perfectly good reason.

Compare against other foods

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper for protein, canned tuna (in water) or ground beef 90/10 (raw)?: Canned tuna (in water), at $0.042 per gram of protein against $0.055 for ground beef 90/10 (raw) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $1.27 vs $1.65.
Which has more protein per calorie, canned tuna (in water) or ground beef 90/10 (raw)?: Canned tuna (in water), with 22.4 g protein per 100 kcal against 11.4 g for ground beef 90/10 (raw), 2.0x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.
Which should I buy, canned tuna (in water) or ground beef 90/10 (raw)?: Canned tuna (in water) wins on both axes here: cheaper per gram of protein and more protein per calorie. Unless taste, prep or the rest of your macros say otherwise, it is the better default.

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.