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Protein head-to-heads · July 2026

Cottage cheese (lowfat) 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.

Cottage cheese (lowfat) is 1.3x cheaper per gram of protein ($0.027/g vs $0.035/g), while Greek yogurt (nonfat) is the leaner choice at 16.9 g protein per 100 kcal against 13.1 g. Budget favours one, a calorie cap favours the other.

Food$/g protein30 g protein costsYou needkcal that come with itProtein/100 kcal
Cottage cheese (lowfat)$0.027$0.82273 g229 kcal13.1 g
Greek yogurt (nonfat)$0.035$1.05300 g177 kcal16.9 g

Full macros, per serving

Food (per serving)PricekcalProteinCarbsFat
Cottage cheese (lowfat) (100 g)$0.308411 g4.3 g2.3 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 cottage cheese (lowfat) alone costs $19.09 a week; from greek yogurt (nonfat) alone, $24.50. That is a gap of $5.41 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

Cottage cheese (lowfat) costs $0.027 per gram of protein against $0.035, so it saves $5.41 a week at a 100 g/day target. Greek yogurt (nonfat) answers a different question: 16.9 g of protein per 100 kcal against 13.1 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, cottage cheese (lowfat) or greek yogurt (nonfat)?
Cottage cheese (lowfat), at $0.027 per gram of protein against $0.035 for greek yogurt (nonfat) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $0.82 vs $1.05.
Which has more protein per calorie, cottage cheese (lowfat) or greek yogurt (nonfat)?
Greek yogurt (nonfat), with 16.9 g protein per 100 kcal against 13.1 g for cottage cheese (lowfat), 1.3x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.
Which should I buy, cottage cheese (lowfat) or greek yogurt (nonfat)?
Depends on your constraint. On a tight budget with room in your calories, cottage cheese (lowfat) is cheaper per gram of protein. On a calorie-capped cut, greek yogurt (nonfat) gives you 1.3x more protein per calorie and is usually worth its $0.035/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.