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

Cottage cheese (lowfat), at $0.027 per gram of protein against $0.044 for turkey breast (raw) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $0.82 vs $1.31.

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

Turkey breast (raw), with 21.6 g protein per 100 kcal against 13.1 g for cottage cheese (lowfat), 1.7x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.

Which should I buy, cottage cheese (lowfat) or turkey breast (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, turkey breast (raw) gives you 1.7x more protein per calorie and is usually worth its $0.044/g price.

Protein head-to-heads · July 2026

Cottage cheese (lowfat) 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.

Cottage cheese (lowfat) is 1.6x cheaper per gram of protein ($0.027/g vs $0.044/g), while Turkey breast (raw) is the leaner choice at 21.6 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
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
Cottage cheese (lowfat) (100 g)	$0.30	84	11 g	4.3 g	2.3 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 cottage cheese (lowfat) alone costs $19.09 a week; from turkey breast (raw) alone, $30.63. That is a gap of $11.53 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 $0.044, so it saves $11.53 a week at a 100 g/day target. Turkey breast (raw) answers a different question: 21.6 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

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 $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 turkey breast (raw)?: Cottage cheese (lowfat), at $0.027 per gram of protein against $0.044 for turkey breast (raw) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $0.82 vs $1.31.
Which has more protein per calorie, cottage cheese (lowfat) or turkey breast (raw)?: Turkey breast (raw), with 21.6 g protein per 100 kcal against 13.1 g for cottage cheese (lowfat), 1.7x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.
Which should I buy, cottage cheese (lowfat) or turkey breast (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, turkey breast (raw) gives you 1.7x 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.