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Beef vs chicken vs pork: $6.75 / $2.03 / $4.18
U.S. average retail price per pound, October 2026
- Ground beef averaged $6.755/lb vs $2.026/lb for whole fresh chicken and $4.176/lb for pork chops in , per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- That makes ground beef about 3.3× the price of whole chicken per pound - the "beef premium."
Is beef more expensive than chicken?
Yes - per pound, ground beef ($6.75) cost about 3.3 times as much as whole fresh chicken ($2.03) in October 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 | $6.755 | - | October 2026 |
| Beef: All uncooked beef steaks | $12.845 | - | October 2026 |
| Chicken, fresh, whole | $2.026 | - | October 2026 |
| Chicken breast, boneless | $4.099 | - | October 2026 |
| All pork chops | $4.176 | - | October 2026 |
| Bacon, sliced | $6.686 | - | October 2026 |
Click a column header to sort.
Source: BLS Average Price series, U.S. city average. Beef series CSVs are on the data page.