MacroThriftMacroThrift

Protein head-to-heads · July 2026

Chicken breast (raw) vs Greek yogurt (nonfat): 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.

Greek yogurt (nonfat) is 1.1x cheaper per gram of protein ($0.035/g vs $0.040/g), while Chicken breast (raw) is the leaner choice at 18.8 g protein per 100 kcal against 16.9 g. Budget favours one, a calorie cap favours the other.

Food$/g protein30 g protein costsYou needkcal that come with itProtein/100 kcal
Chicken breast (raw)$0.040$1.20133 g160 kcal18.8 g
Greek yogurt (nonfat)$0.035$1.05300 g177 kcal16.9 g

Full macros, per serving

Food (per serving)PricekcalProteinCarbsFat
Chicken breast (raw) (100 g)$0.9012022.5 g0 g2.6 g
Greek yogurt (nonfat) (100 g)$0.355910 g3.6 g0.4 g

A week of protein from each

Hitting a common 100 g/day protein target from greek yogurt (nonfat) alone costs $24.50 a week; from chicken breast (raw) alone, $28.00. That is a gap of $3.50 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

Greek yogurt (nonfat) costs $0.035 per gram of protein against $0.040, so it saves $3.50 a week at a 100 g/day target. Chicken breast (raw) answers a different question: 18.8 g of protein per 100 kcal against 16.9 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, chicken breast (raw) or greek yogurt (nonfat)?
Greek yogurt (nonfat), at $0.035 per gram of protein against $0.040 for chicken breast (raw) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $1.05 vs $1.20.
Which has more protein per calorie, chicken breast (raw) or greek yogurt (nonfat)?
Chicken breast (raw), with 18.8 g protein per 100 kcal against 16.9 g for greek yogurt (nonfat), 1.1x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.
Which should I buy, chicken breast (raw) or greek yogurt (nonfat)?
Depends on your constraint. On a tight budget with room in your calories, greek yogurt (nonfat) is cheaper per gram of protein. On a calorie-capped cut, chicken breast (raw) gives you 1.1x more protein per calorie and is usually worth its $0.040/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.