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Beef vs chicken vs pork: $6.92 / $2.01 / $4.24
U.S. average retail price per pound, August 2026
- Ground beef averaged $6.923/lb vs $2.012/lb for whole fresh chicken and $4.239/lb for pork chops in , per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- That makes ground beef about 3.4× the price of whole chicken per pound - the "beef premium."
Is beef more expensive than chicken?
Yes - per pound, ground beef ($6.92) cost about 3.4 times as much as whole fresh chicken ($2.01) in August 2026, per BLS retail price data.
Beef has pulled away from the other meats in this price cycle because cattle supply is uniquely tight - chicken and hog production can expand within months, while rebuilding a cattle herd takes years (see why beef is expensive). The result is a beef premium near the top of its historical range.
Current retail prices per pound
| Item | $/lb | YoY | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef: Ground beef, 100% beef | $6.923 | +9.6% | August 2026 |
| Beef: All uncooked beef steaks | $12.813 | +4.8% | August 2026 |
| Chicken, fresh, whole | $2.012 | −3.1% | August 2026 |
| Chicken breast, boneless | $4.173 | −0.9% | August 2026 |
| All pork chops | $4.239 | −1.4% | August 2026 |
| Bacon, sliced | $6.605 | −8.4% | August 2026 |
Click a column header to sort.
Source: BLS Average Price series, U.S. city average. Beef series CSVs are on the data page.