Which is cheaper for protein, chicken breast (raw) or turkey breast (raw)?

Chicken breast (raw), at $0.040 per gram of protein against $0.044 for turkey breast (raw) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $1.20 vs $1.31.

Which has more protein per calorie, chicken breast (raw) or turkey breast (raw)?

Turkey breast (raw), with 21.6 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, chicken breast (raw) or turkey 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, turkey breast (raw) gives you 1.2x more protein per calorie and is usually worth its $0.044/g price.

Protein head-to-heads · July 2026

Chicken breast (raw) vs Turkey 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 $0.044/g), while Turkey breast (raw) is the leaner choice at 21.6 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
Chicken breast (raw)	$0.040	$1.20	133 g	160 kcal	18.8 g
Turkey breast (raw)	$0.044	$1.31	125 g	139 kcal	21.6 g

Full macros, per serving

Food (per serving)	Price	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Chicken breast (raw) (100 g)	$0.90	120	22.5 g	0 g	2.6 g
Turkey breast (raw) (100 g)	$1.05	111	24 g	0 g	1 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 turkey breast (raw) alone, $30.63. That is a gap of $2.63 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 $0.044, so it saves $2.63 a week at a 100 g/day target. Turkey breast (raw) answers a different question: 21.6 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.

One of these is a convenience purchase

Turkey breast (raw) ranks #19 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: $1.31 per 30 g against $1.20 for chicken breast (raw). 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, chicken breast (raw) or turkey breast (raw)?: Chicken breast (raw), at $0.040 per gram of protein against $0.044 for turkey breast (raw) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $1.20 vs $1.31.
Which has more protein per calorie, chicken breast (raw) or turkey breast (raw)?: Turkey breast (raw), with 21.6 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, chicken breast (raw) or turkey 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, turkey breast (raw) gives you 1.2x more protein per calorie and is usually worth its $0.044/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.