Which is cheaper for protein, cottage cheese (lowfat) or tilapia (raw)?

Cottage cheese (lowfat), at $0.027 per gram of protein against $0.048 for tilapia (raw) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $0.82 vs $1.43.

Which has more protein per calorie, cottage cheese (lowfat) or tilapia (raw)?

Tilapia (raw), with 20.8 g protein per 100 kcal against 13.1 g for cottage cheese (lowfat), 1.6x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.

Which should I buy, cottage cheese (lowfat) or tilapia (raw)?

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, tilapia (raw) gives you 1.6x more protein per calorie and is usually worth its $0.048/g price.

Protein head-to-heads · July 2026

Cottage cheese (lowfat) vs Tilapia (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.

Cottage cheese (lowfat) is 1.7x cheaper per gram of protein ($0.027/g vs $0.048/g), while Tilapia (raw) is the leaner choice at 20.8 g protein per 100 kcal against 13.1 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
Cottage cheese (lowfat)	$0.027	$0.82	273 g	229 kcal	13.1 g
Tilapia (raw)	$0.048	$1.43	150 g	144 kcal	20.8 g

Full macros, per serving

Food (per serving)	Price	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Cottage cheese (lowfat) (100 g)	$0.30	84	11 g	4.3 g	2.3 g
Tilapia (raw) (100 g)	$0.95	96	20 g	0 g	1.7 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 tilapia (raw) alone, $33.25. That is a gap of $14.16 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 $0.048, so it saves $14.16 a week at a 100 g/day target. Tilapia (raw) answers a different question: 20.8 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.

One of these is a convenience purchase

Tilapia (raw) ranks #21 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: $1.43 per 30 g against $0.82 for cottage cheese (lowfat). 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, cottage cheese (lowfat) or tilapia (raw)?: Cottage cheese (lowfat), at $0.027 per gram of protein against $0.048 for tilapia (raw) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $0.82 vs $1.43.
Which has more protein per calorie, cottage cheese (lowfat) or tilapia (raw)?: Tilapia (raw), with 20.8 g protein per 100 kcal against 13.1 g for cottage cheese (lowfat), 1.6x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.
Which should I buy, cottage cheese (lowfat) or tilapia (raw)?: 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, tilapia (raw) gives you 1.6x more protein per calorie and is usually worth its $0.048/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.