One of the keys to maintaining a lean, healthy body is eating enough protein. In addition to the energy (calories) it provides, protein also provides essential amino acids that are needed by your body to rebuild and renew tissue, vitamins and minerals to support your body’s day-to-day functions, AND it can help rev up your metabolism because your body has to work harder to break it down than it does for carbs or fats.

Ideally, we should be getting most of our protein needs from whole foods, but sometimes it’s tough to know what to buy, especially if you’re on a budget. For that reason, every once in a while, I take a cruise through the local grocery store and update this protein price list for the reference of our members at The BTG, and now I’ve decided to share it with all of you!

All prices were collected at our local grocery store, and reflect the regular prices (not any daily specials on at the time of collection). You can often get these same items at pretty good discounts if you shop the specials, or figure out which day your local store usually blows out existing inventory. ;)

Protein Price List (UPDATED 2020.01.27)

Since the last time I updated this, the most notable trend is that prices have stayed relatively stable, though extra lean ground beef and ground turkey breast have both risen about 7-10%.

Pork is still generally cheaper than either beef or poultry for the same amount of meat, with premium cuts like tenderloin or loin chops coming in around the same price as the cheaper cuts of beef. However, note that pork tends to be less protein-dense than beef, so its price per gram of protein is actually higher than all but the most expensive cuts of beef. Still cheaper than poultry though!

Weird also that chicken thighs actually price out slightly more expensive per gram of protein than chicken breast…

Note with beef and pork I usually only price out roasts because they can be cheaper than steaks of the same cut, and you can simply cut them as you like. Also, all of the below are boneless and skinless where applicable, unless otherwise noted.

I have not priced out any seafood because any that is caught or farmed with sustainable methods is prohibitively expensive. When we decide that’s what we’re going to have, we accept that cost is not a factor. ;)

I have also not priced out any plant-based protein sources aside from the Kaizen Vegan Protein powder because, aside from quinoa (which is a complete protein), more than one food would have to be combined (E.G. beans and rice) to cover off all the essential amino acids, making pricing them overly complicated.

The choices in bold type are the ones that I recommend using most of the time because they are relatively lean but still flavourful when prepared well, or represent a great value (like Free Run Eggs or Greek Yogurt) as alternatives.

The others have been included either because they can be a good value but they do tend to be fattier (eat these less often), or for an idea what “premium” products (like grass-fed beef or organic eggs) cost relative to the regular ones.

Beef

Eye of Round Roast - $17.61 / kg (about 280g of protein / kg = $0.062 / g)
Inside Round Roast - $19.38 / kg (about 280g of protein / kg = $0.069 / g)
Sirloin Tip Roast - $19.60 / kg (about 260g of protein per kg = $0.075 / g)
Extra Lean Ground Beef - $16.51 / kg (about 220g of protein / kg = $0.075 / g)
Top Sirloin Roast - $26.87 / kg (about 290g of protein per kg = $0.093 / g)
Grass-Fed Extra Lean Ground Beef - $26.41 / kg (about 220g of protein / kg = $0.012 / g)

Pork

Ground Pork - $9.90 / kg (about 170g of protein / kg = $0.058 / g)
Pork Tenderloin - $17.61 / kg (about (about 210g of protein / kg = $0.084 / g)
Pork Shoulder / Butt Roast - $14.53 / kg (about 170g of protein / kg = $0.085 / g)
Pork Loin Chops (Centre Cut) - $18.72 / kg (about 200g of protein / kg = $0.094 / g)
Pork Sausage - $16-18 / kg (about 170g of protein / kg = $0.094 - $0.105 / g)

Poultry

Ground Turkey Thigh - $17.61 / kg (about 205g of protein / kg = $0.086 / g)
Turkey Thigh - ?? (none in store)
Ground Turkey Breast - $21.80 / kg (about 240g of protein / kg = $0.091 / g)
Turkey Breast - $23.35 / kg (about 240g of protein / kg = $0.097 / g)
Chicken Breast - $23.13 / kg (about 230g of protein / kg = $0.101 / g)
Chicken Thigh - $22.46 / kg (about 200g of protein / kg = $0.112 / g)

Eggs (all prices are for 1 dozen)

Regular - $3.19 (about 6 g of protein / egg = $0.044 / g)
Free Run - $5.20 (about 6 g of protein / egg = $0.072 / g)
Free Range - $5.85 (about 6 g of protein / egg = $0.081 / g)
Organic Free Range - $6.85 (about 6 g of protein / egg = $0.095 / g)

Protein Powders and Dairy

Bio-X Power Whey Complex - $34.99 (approx. 650g protein per container = $0.054 / g)
Kaizen Whey Protein - $37.99 (approx. 600g protein per container = $0.063 / g)
Liberte Greek Yogurt - $13.99 / 1.75 kg (about 17g of protein / 175 g = $0.082 / g)
Kaizen Vegan Protein - $44.99 (approx. 500g protein per container = $0.090 / g)

If you have any questions or comments about any of the above, feel free to contact Coach JP. If you have found the guide useful, please feel free to share a link to it with friends or family! ;)