💪 High Protein Budget Nutrition Ranked Table

Cheapest Protein Sources, Ranked by Cost Per Gram

Chicken breast is the default answer to "cheap protein," but it isn't the cheapest one. Ranked by real cost per gram of protein, several less obvious foods beat it comfortably.

Prices checked August 2026, indicative Coles/Woolworths/Aldi averages, home-brand where available. Protein figures per 100g of the food as purchased (dry weight for legumes, raw weight for meat cooked yield noted) — cooking method assumed not to meaningfully change total protein content.

Full Ranked Table — Cost Per Gram of Protein

Rank	Food	Protein/100g	Cost/100g	Cost per g protein	Notes
1	Split peas (dry)	24g	$0.35	$0.0146	Needs soaking/cooking; bulks to ~2.5× cooked weight
2	Red lentils (dry)	24g	$0.40	$0.0167	Fastest-cooking legume, no soaking needed
3	Green/brown lentils (dry)	24g	$0.45	$0.0188	Holds shape better than red — good for salads
4	Chickpeas (dry)	19g	$0.40	$0.0211	Needs overnight soak; cheapest dry legume by weight
5	Chicken liver	22g (cooked)	$0.50	$0.0227	Also the cheapest B12 source on the site by a huge margin
6	Chicken thigh	26g (cooked)	$0.70	$0.0269	Cheaper and more flavourful than breast; slightly more fat
7	Chicken breast	31g (cooked)	$1.20	$0.0387	Highest raw protein density of any common meat, but not the cheapest per gram
8	Kangaroo mince	23g (cooked)	$1.10	$0.0478	Best combination of protein, iron and low fat — see kangaroo vs beef
9	Cottage cheese	11g	$0.70	$0.0636	Also a solid calcium source
10	Greek yoghurt	9g	$0.60	$0.0667	Full-fat is more filling; check for no added sugar
11	Eggs	13g	$0.92	$0.0708	~$0.55/egg; the most nutritionally complete whole food on the site
12	Tofu (firm, calcium-set)	8g	$0.60	$0.0750	Choose "calcium sulfate" on the label for the calcium bonus
13	Canned chickpeas (drained)	7g	$0.50	$0.0714	Convenient but costs 3–4× more per gram of protein than dry
14	Beef mince (lean)	20g (cooked)	$1.60	$0.0800	Typical Coles/Woolworths price for lean (~85/15) mince, mid-2026
15	Canned sardines	25g	$2.10	$0.0840	Also delivers vitamin D and calcium
16	Canned tuna	26g	$2.20	$0.0846	Springwater, drained weight
17	Tempeh	19g	$2.20	$0.1158	Pricier than most legumes but a genuine complete protein
18	Edamame (frozen, shelled)	11g	$1.40	$0.1273	Good snack option, not the most budget-efficient protein source

💡 The takeaway

Dry split peas and red lentils are roughly a third of the cost of chicken breast, and a sixth of the cost of canned tuna, per gram of protein. If protein cost is the only variable that matters, plant-based dry legumes win outright — animal proteins earn their place through other nutrients, not price.

Which Sources Are a Complete Protein?

Source	Complete protein?	What it's missing	Pair with
Chicken, beef, kangaroo, liver, eggs, dairy	Yes	—	—
Tofu, tempeh, edamame (soy)	Yes	—	—
Lentils, split peas, chickpeas	No	Low in methionine	Rice, oats, bread, or any grain
Canned tuna/sardines	Yes	—	—

Soy products (tofu, tempeh, edamame) are the only plant proteins on this list that are already "complete" (all nine essential amino acids in useful amounts) without pairing. Legumes are missing methionine but pair naturally with any grain — dal and rice, lentil soup and toast, or hummus and bread all complete the amino acid profile at essentially no extra cost.

What 30g of Protein Actually Costs

Source	Amount needed	Cost
Red lentils (dry)	125g	$0.50
Chicken thigh	115g	$0.80
Kangaroo mince	130g	$1.43
Eggs	~4.5 eggs (270g)	$2.48
Canned tuna	115g	$2.53

Lentils cost roughly a fifth of what eggs or tuna cost for the same 30g protein hit — the gap is largest exactly where people assume protein has to be expensive.

Buying Tips — Top 3 Sources

Split peas / red lentils — home-brand dry bags (Coles/Woolworths/Aldi own label) are consistently the cheapest per kilo; buy in 500g–1kg bags rather than small pouches. No refrigeration needed, effectively unlimited shelf life.
Chicken thigh — buy bone-in, skin-on family packs and portion/freeze yourself; costs noticeably less per kilo than pre-trimmed thigh fillets, and the bones can go toward stock.
Chicken liver — often overlooked in the poultry fridge section at all three major chains; frequently under $5/kg and rarely discounted because demand is low, so the "special price" is really just the everyday price.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cheapest protein per gram in Australia?

Dry split peas and red lentils, at roughly $0.015–0.017 per gram of protein — about a third of the cost of chicken breast and a sixth of the cost of canned tuna.

Is kangaroo meat cheaper than chicken per gram of protein?

It's close but chicken thigh usually edges it out — kangaroo mince runs about $0.048/g protein versus $0.027/g for chicken thigh. Kangaroo's advantage is in iron and zinc density, not raw protein cost.

Are lentils a complete protein?

No — they're low in the amino acid methionine. Pairing them with any grain (rice, bread, oats) completes the amino acid profile, and most traditional lentil dishes (dal and rice, lentil soup and toast) already do this by default.

How much protein do I need per day?

Australian NRVs set it at roughly 46g/day for an adult woman and 64g/day for an adult man, though many nutrition researchers now suggest higher intakes (closer to 1.2–1.6g per kg of body weight) for muscle maintenance, especially with age.

What is the cheapest way to hit 50g of protein per day?

A day built around dry lentils/split peas for two meals and eggs or chicken thigh for a third comfortably clears 50g for under $2.50 total food cost.

Is canned tuna or eggs cheaper for protein?

Eggs, by a small margin — roughly $0.071/g protein for eggs versus $0.085/g for canned tuna, though tuna adds omega-3 and selenium that eggs don't provide in the same amounts.

How does plant protein compare to animal protein per dollar?

Dry legumes are the cheapest protein sources overall, beating every animal protein on a pure cost-per-gram basis. Animal proteins earn their place through nutrients legumes are weak on — B12, haem iron, zinc — not through being cheaper.

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