Budget meal planning
Low carb meals on a budget
Low carb costs more because it removes the cheapest food in the shop. A full low-carb week for two at $65.98 — and the honest maths on why it is higher.
By Joao Dunlap · · 4 min read
The short version
- A low-carb week for two: $65.98, or $4.71 per person per day.
- It costs more because rice, oats, pasta and potatoes — only $21.83 of a normal shop — are what usually keep a bill down.
- Eggs, thighs, cabbage and frozen vegetables are the cheap end of low carb.
- Keto branded products are the single biggest cost, and the least necessary.
Low carb is genuinely more expensive than a normal budget diet, and it is worth being straight about why rather than pretending otherwise. Rice, oats, pasta, bread and potatoes are the cheapest calories in any supermarket. Removing them removes the thing that was keeping the bill down.
In a standard week's shop those staples cost only about $21.83 in total — but they supply a very large share of the calories. Replace them with protein and vegetables and the same calories cost considerably more.
That said, most of the cost people associate with low carb is not the diet. It is the products.
The cheap end of low carb
The week, priced
$65.98 for two people, seven days — $4.71 per person per day. No specialist products, no flour substitutes, no branded anything.
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow onions | 3 lb bag | $3.49 |
| Garlic | 1 head | $0.79 |
| Broccoli crowns | 2 | $3.48 |
| Green cabbage | 1 head | $2.49 |
| Bell peppers | 2 | $2.58 |
| Roma tomatoes | 4 | $2.36 |
| Baby spinach | 10 oz | $2.99 |
| Zucchini | 3 | $2.67 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Bone-in chicken thighs | 5 lb pack | $8.95 |
| Ground beef, 80/20 | 1 lb | $5.49 |
| Eggs | 18 count | $4.98 |
| Canned tuna | 2 cans | $2.58 |
| Cottage cheese | 16 oz | $3.29 |
| Greek yogurt | 32 oz | $5.49 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Frozen broccoli | 12 oz | $1.49 |
| Frozen spinach | 10 oz | $1.29 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetable oil | 48 oz | $4.29 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Cheddar | 8 oz block | $2.79 |
| Butter | 1 lb | $4.49 |
| Low-carb week · 2 people | $4.71 per person per day | $65.98 |
How to keep the cost down
- 1Buy no keto-branded products at all. This is the single largest saving and it costs you nothing nutritionally.
- 2Use eggs as a main, not a side. Two or three egg dinners a week is the cheapest way to hold the protein up.
- 3Choose fattier cuts. On low carb the fat is not a compromise, and fattier cuts are cheaper.
- 4Cabbage, courgette and frozen greens instead of the fashionable vegetables. Cauliflower rice from a whole cauliflower, not a bag.
- 5Do not replace bread. Substitute loaves are the most expensive item in the category, and going without is free.
- 6Consider lower-carb rather than strict keto if money is the binding constraint. Keeping cheap pulses in the plan changes the cost significantly.
Low-carb mains worth cooking
High protein, no specialist ingredients, and none of them expensive. From the NeatEat library, which treats a low-carb setting as a filter on the whole week.
17 minGarlic Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-Fry
40g protein, 17 minutes.
20 minChicken & Cauliflower Mash Bowl
48g of protein in 20 minutes.
20 minCheesy Turkey and Broccoli Casserole
42g protein, 20 minutes.
20 minHearty Pork and Spinach Soup
45g protein, 20 minutes.
50 minKeto Chicken Alfredo with Zucchini Noodles
41g protein, 50 minutes.
20 minEgg and Spinach Stir-Fry
31g protein for well under a dollar.
Frequently asked questions
Is low carb more expensive?
Yes, honestly - it removes rice, oats, pasta, bread and potatoes, which are the cheapest calories in any supermarket, and replaces them with protein and vegetables which are not. The full low-carb week here is $65.98 for two, or $4.71 per person per day. Most of the extra cost people experience, though, comes from keto-branded products rather than from the diet itself.
What are the cheapest low carb foods?
Eggs first, then bone-in chicken thighs, cabbage, frozen broccoli and spinach, tinned fish and cottage cheese. All of them are low carb, high protein and among the cheaper things in the shop. Cabbage in particular is both the cheapest low-carb vegetable and one of the longest-keeping.
How do I do keto on a tight budget?
Buy no keto-branded products - no substitute breads, bars, flours or sweeteners. That alone removes most of the cost. Build meals on eggs, fattier cuts of meat, cabbage and frozen vegetables, and make cauliflower rice from a whole cauliflower rather than buying it bagged.
Can you eat low carb cheaply without meat?
It is harder, because the cheap non-meat proteins - lentils, beans, chickpeas - are all relatively high carb. Eggs, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and tofu are the workable options, with eggs by far the cheapest. A moderate-carb approach that keeps some pulses is usually a better fit if budget is the binding constraint.