How MealSpend prices recipes

Every cost on this site is computed, not guessed: required quantity × current unit price for each ingredient, summed, then divided by servings. All recipes draw from one shared ingredient price table, last reviewed 2026-08-12.

Where prices come from

The price table holds one price per ingredient at a typical package size (for example, a 3-pound value pack of chicken breast, a 5-pound bag of rice). 9 of 49 ingredient prices come from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average price data; the remaining 40 are estimates.

Each row carries a status. Verified rows are pulled directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Average Price Data series, which reports what U.S. shoppers actually paid for a staple item in a given month. Adjusted rows start from that same figure but are scaled for package size — BLS blends all pack sizes together, and a three-pound value pack genuinely sells for less per pound than the blended average. Estimate rows are our own figures for items BLS does not track, such as frozen vegetables and canned beans. BLS data lags by about a month, so verified prices reflect the most recent published month rather than today. Prices at your store will differ — often by a lot between regions — so treat everything here as a planning estimate.

How cost per serving is computed

For each ingredient line in a recipe: quantity used × (package price ÷ package quantity) = line cost. Line costs sum to the recipe total; the total divided by servings is the per-serving cost shown on the yellow tag. Because the math runs at build time from one table, changing a single price updates every recipe that uses that ingredient — recipes never drift out of sync with each other.

A note on partial packages

Costs reflect the quantity a recipe uses, not the package you must buy. If a recipe uses 3 tablespoons of a $2.49 bottle of soy sauce, it's charged pennies, not $2.49. That's the fair way to compare recipes, but your first shopping trip for a new pantry costs more than the recipe totals suggest.

Nutrition

Nutrition is computed the same way, from USDA-typical per-100-gram values for each raw ingredient, summed and divided by servings, then rounded. Net carbs are total carbohydrates minus fiber. Values are estimates for planning, not lab measurements, and nothing here is medical or dietary advice.

9 of 49 ingredient prices come from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average price data; the remaining 40 are estimates. Last reviewed 2026-08-12. Your store will differ — treat every figure as a planning estimate, not a quote. Nutrition is computed from USDA-typical ingredient values and rounded.