97.9g
Most protein per $1
Pinto beans (dry), as purchased
2026 food cost statistics
What a Dollar Actually Buys at the Grocery Store
In our July 2026 price snapshot, $1 bought 97.9 grams of protein from pinto beans (dry) or 77.8 grams of fiber from whole wheat flour. The spreadsheet has opinions. Apparently one of them is that the dry-goods aisle deserves better lighting.
This page summarizes 474 published rows across 22 datasets. It's a dated US price study, not a live quote for your ZIP code. Every table links to the study and the raw CSV, because a statistic without a receipt is just a number wearing a tie.
Looking for one food instead of the highlights? Search the 79-food value database and compare price, protein, fiber, and grams per dollar in the same table.
77.8g
Most fiber per $1
Whole wheat flour, as purchased
$0.62
Cheapest 30g fiber day
Five audited food portions
$0.82
Cheapest 50g protein day
Four audited food portions
Source: Daily Life Hacks Food Value Data, version 2026.1. Nutrition values use USDA FoodData Central. Prices use BLS Average Price data where available and dated national retail listings otherwise. Read the methodology.
Which foods provide the most fiber per dollar?
Whole wheat flour leads this 53-food snapshot at 77.8 grams per dollar. Dry peas and beans take most of the next seats. Produce is invited, but it isn't controlling the aux cord.
| Rank | Food | Fiber per $1 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Whole wheat flour | 77.8g |
| 2 | Green split peas (dry) | 71.0g |
| 3 | Pinto beans (dry) | 70.8g |
| 4 | Black beans (dry) | 58.1g |
| 5 | Popcorn kernels | 57.7g |
| 6 | Pearled barley (dry) | 57.1g |
| 7 | Navy beans (dry) | 52.0g |
| 8 | Old-fashioned rolled oats | 35.8g |
| 9 | Whole wheat spaghetti | 35.4g |
| 10 | Chickpeas (dry) | 33.8g |
Which foods provide the most protein per dollar?
Pinto beans (dry) leads at 97.9 grams per dollar. Whole wheat flour is second, which is probably not what the guy selling a tiny protein cookie expected to hear today.
| Rank | Food | Protein per $1 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pinto beans (dry) | 97.9g |
| 2 | Whole wheat flour | 96.0g |
| 3 | Black beans (dry) | 81.0g |
| 4 | Brown lentils (dry) | 77.7g |
| 5 | Navy beans (dry) | 75.9g |
| 6 | Green split peas (dry) | 73.9g |
| 7 | Chickpeas (dry) | 56.7g |
| 8 | Red lentils (dry) | 56.0g |
| 9 | Whole wheat spaghetti | 53.4g |
| 10 | Peanut butter | 50.7g |
How much does a full day of fiber or protein cost?
The ingredient choices matter more than the target. Our five fiber menus ranged from $0.62 to $14.42. The five protein menus ranged from $0.82 to $9.97. Same rough targets. Wildly different receipts.
| Day style | Fiber | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Rock-bottom dry goods | 31.9g | $0.62 |
| No-cook convenience | 31.7g | $1.74 |
| Realistic mixed | 32.1g | $1.99 |
| Fresh produce lover | 31.4g | $4.18 |
| Restaurant day | 31.0g | $14.42 |
| Day style | Protein | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Rock-bottom dry goods | 52.7g | $0.82 |
| Realistic mixed | 51.7g | $1.51 |
| No-cook convenience | 53.5g | $2.05 |
| Meat-eater cook day | 52.3g | $2.78 |
| Restaurant day | 53.0g | $9.97 |
What changes after protein quality is included?
The quality-adjusted ranking multiplies the price result by a published DIAAS score. Pinto beans (dry) still leads this 25-food cut at 57.8 adjusted grams per dollar, but the gap tightens considerably.
- 1. Pinto beans (dry) 57.8g/$1
- 2. Chicken drumsticks (bone-in) 50.3g/$1
- 3. Brown lentils (dry) 49.0g/$1
- 4. Black beans (dry) 47.8g/$1
- 5. Chickpeas (dry) 47.1g/$1
Which fast-food orders buy the most protein per dollar?
Chipotle's High Protein Cup (4 oz chicken) led our dated 30-item menu snapshot at 8.4 grams per dollar. That's useful when the drive-thru is already happening. It doesn't make a drive-thru cheaper than a bag of beans.
- 1. High Protein Cup (4 oz chicken)Chipotle 8.4g/$1
- 2. Original Recipe Chicken Breast (1 pc)KFC 7.6g/$1
- 3. 8 pc Bucket, chicken only (Original Recipe)KFC 7.3g/$1
- 4. Jr. Bacon CheeseburgerWendy's 6.2g/$1
- 5. Double Quarter Pounder with CheeseMcDonald's 5.9g/$1
Can I download and cite these food cost statistics?
Yes. The public data catalog has all 22 CSV files, row counts, source studies, citation wording, the Frictionless data package, and the API documentation. Read the reuse terms before republishing. The current release is 2026.1, observed in July 2026. Prices move. Spreadsheets, tragically, don't get to tell grocery stores to hold still.
Limits of this snapshot
These are national comparison figures built from BLS prices where available and dated national retail listings where BLS doesn't track the item. They aren't a census of every store, brand, sale, or ZIP code. Package sizes change, local prices wander off, and a sale can flip two close rows. Use the figures for comparison, cite the release date, and check the raw file before publishing a number.