Protein per calorie vs protein per dollar: which should you use?

Two ways to compare high-protein foods, what each one tells you, and why the "best" product depends on which you pick.

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There are two numbers people use to compare high-protein foods. One is protein per calorie: how much protein you get for the energy you're eating. The other is protein per dollar: how much protein you get for the money you're spending. They answer different questions, and the "best" product can change depending on which one you use.

How each one works

Protein per 100 calories = grams of protein ÷ calories × 100. Our leaderboard ranks every product this way. For example, a StarKist Light Tuna in Water pouch has 17 g of protein and 70 calories, which works out to 24.3 g per 100 calories. That's currently the highest score on the site.

Cost per 10 g of protein = price per serving ÷ grams of protein × 10. We show it in the "$ / 10 g protein" column. A David Gold Protein Bar priced at $3.25 per bar (from a 12-bar carton on the brand site) with 28 g of protein works out to $1.16 per 10 g.

Lower is better for cost; higher is better for protein per calorie.

When to use protein per calorie

Use it when calories are the thing you're budgeting. If you're trying to eat less overall but keep protein up, a high score means you get more protein before you hit your limit. It's also the more stable number: label nutrition doesn't change much, while prices move with every sale, store and pack size.

The catch is that it doesn't reward size. A Quest 45g Protein Milkshake has 45 g of protein but scores 19.6 per 100 calories, lower than smaller shakes with less total protein. If you need a lot of protein in one go, look at the grams too.

When to use protein per dollar

Use it when money is the tighter budget, or when calories aren't a concern. Cost per gram is what matters if you're buying in bulk or feeding a family. The catch is that it's slippery: the same product can cost very different amounts in different stores, pack sizes and weeks. A price is only useful if you know where and when it came from.

What our data shows so far

Honest status update: we've confirmed prices for only 26 of our 143 products, all from brand websites, all for multi-packs, and none from grocery stores or restaurants. So we're not ranking anything by price yet. Here are a few of the priced products, so you can see how the two numbers relate:

Product	Protein	Calories	Protein / 100 cal	Price / serving	$ / 10 g protein
David Gold Protein Bar – Red Velvet $39.00 for 12-bar carton on brand site	28 g	150	18.7	$3.25	$1.16
David Protein Milkshake – Chocolate $49.00 for case of 12 bottles on brand site	30 g	150	20.0	$4.08	$1.36
Quest Protein Bar – Pumpkin Pie (seasonal) $35.49 for 12-ct carton on brand site	20 g	180	11.1	$2.96	$1.48
David Bronze Protein Bar – Peanut Butter Chocolate $39.00 for 12-bar carton on brand site	20 g	150	13.3	$3.25	$1.62
Legendary Foods Protein Pastry – Chocolate Caramel $34.49 for 10-pack on brand site	21 g	180	11.7	$3.45	$1.64
Legendary Foods Popped Protein Chips – Ranch $24.99 for 7-pack on brand site	20 g	160	12.5	$3.57	$1.78
Chomps Turkey Sticks – Original / Pepperoni $25.60 for 10-pack on brand site	12 g	80	15.0	$2.56	$2.13

Prices are per serving from the brand's own site on the date we checked, for the pack size shown. They are examples, not a price ranking. Store prices, sales and subscriptions will differ.

A few things jump out even from this small sample:

The two metrics can agree. The David Gold bar has the lowest cost per 10 g in this sample ($1.16) and also scores high per calorie (18.7), second only to the David Protein Milkshake – Chocolate (20.0), at brand-site carton prices.
They can also disagree. Chomps Turkey Sticks score well per calorie (15.0, 12 g for 80 calories) but cost the most per 10 g here ($2.13), because each stick is small. Legendary Foods Popped Protein Chips are the reverse: a middling 12.5 per 100 calories, at $1.78 per 10 g.
A cheaper item isn't always cheaper per gram. The Quest Pumpkin Pie bar costs less per bar than a David Gold bar ($2.96 vs $3.25), but at 20 g of protein it works out to $1.48 per 10 g, versus $1.16 for the David Gold.

So which should you use?

Use both, in order. Start with protein per calorie to narrow the list to foods that fit how you want to eat. Then, among those, compare price per gram at the store you actually shop at. And let taste break the tie, since the best deal is the one you'll actually eat. Our leaderboard shows shared 👍/👎 taste votes next to every product for that reason.

We'll add more prices as we confirm them, and only from pages we can link to. Until then, treat any price you see here as a snapshot, not a ranking.

Caveats

All nutrition numbers are copied from labels and brand pages, which can round and change. The David Protein Milkshake – Vanilla was listed as out of stock when we recorded its price. How much protein you need is personal; talk to a doctor or registered dietitian for advice about your own diet.

Compare everything yourself on the full leaderboard.

Disclaimer: All numbers come from manufacturer labels, brand websites and restaurant nutrition pages on the dates shown on the leaderboard. They can change without notice, vary by location, flavor or customization, or differ from the product in your hand. Always check the current label. This article is general information only and is not medical, dietary or health advice.