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Protein head-to-heads · July 2026

Cottage cheese (lowfat) vs Eggs (~2 large): 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.

Cottage cheese (lowfat) is 1.3x cheaper per gram of protein ($0.027/g vs $0.036/g), while it also carries more protein per calorie (13.1 g vs 8.8 g per 100 kcal), so it wins on both axes.

Food$/g protein30 g protein costsYou needkcal that come with itProtein/100 kcal
Cottage cheese (lowfat)$0.027$0.82273 g229 kcal13.1 g
Eggs (~2 large)$0.036$1.07238 g340 kcal8.8 g

Full macros, per serving

Food (per serving)PricekcalProteinCarbsFat
Cottage cheese (lowfat) (100 g)$0.308411 g4.3 g2.3 g
Eggs (~2 large) (100 g)$0.4514312.6 g0.7 g9.5 g

A week of protein from each

Hitting a common 100 g/day protein target from cottage cheese (lowfat) alone costs $19.09 a week; from eggs (~2 large) alone, $25.00. That is a gap of $5.91 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

Cottage cheese (lowfat) is both the cheaper protein ($0.027/g against $0.036/g) and the leaner one (13.1 g protein per 100 kcal against 8.8 g). Most matchups force you to pick a side. This one does not, so eggs (~2 large) has to win on taste, prep time or what else it brings to the meal, because it is not winning on the numbers.

Compare against other foods

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper for protein, cottage cheese (lowfat) or eggs (~2 large)?
Cottage cheese (lowfat), at $0.027 per gram of protein against $0.036 for eggs (~2 large) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $0.82 vs $1.07.
Which has more protein per calorie, cottage cheese (lowfat) or eggs (~2 large)?
Cottage cheese (lowfat), with 13.1 g protein per 100 kcal against 8.8 g for eggs (~2 large), 1.5x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.
Which should I buy, cottage cheese (lowfat) or eggs (~2 large)?
Cottage cheese (lowfat) 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.