Should You Go Vegetarian to Save Money?

When I go shopping, I like to compare the price of products by weight. This way, I know my tofu costs $0.88 per 100 grams, compared to $2.00 for the same weight of ground beef. In general, a vegetarian diet is less expensive than one that includes meat. Of course, it all depends on what you buy specifically. But scientists say the vegetarians are right. How much could you save by changing your diet?

Hundreds of Dollars in Potential Savings

In countries like ours, diets rich in plant-based foods reduce food costs by 21% to 34% – this study calculated and compared the costs of various diets in 150 countries.

A single person can save between $1,397 and $2,262 per year on food, including groceries and restaurants, by becoming vegetarian. In fact, Canadians living alone spent $5,472 on food in 2021. With a 21.6% inflation since then, this expense would be $6,654 in 2024. In this case, a 21% savings would leave an extra $1,397 in your pocket!

What about couples with children? The more mouths to feed, the more expensive the grocery basket. Their food expenses of $17,979 (still according to Statistics Canada and adjusted for inflation) would melt like snow in the sun thanks to a vegetarian diet: they could save up to $6,113 per year (34%).

Getting Off to a Good Start: Vegetarian or Mixed Diet?

If you’re on the fence about changing your entire diet, consider that replacing meat with plant proteins a few times a week could save you hundreds of dollars per year.

A crucial factor to take into account when changing diet is the nutritional value of food. In fact, 100 grams of tofu do not provide the same amount of protein (over 15 g) as 100 g of beef (over 26 g). Here are tables showing the menu of two people, one completely vegetarian and the other who occasionally eats vegetarian meals. These menus are for illustration purposes only. They do not represent the actual diet of the Canadian population.

To give you an idea of a healthy vegetarian and omnivore menu, I’ve drawn inspiration from real-life recipes. We are not having a bowl of cereal for dinner! I have selected the recipes on the website of Isabelle Huot, Ph.D. in nutrition, for vegetarian lunches and dinners, and on the website of Trois fois par jour for meat meals.

The two people in the scenario eat the same thing for all breakfasts and several other meals. They spend the same amount in restaurants every week. I used food prices from the Maxi website, and from Metro when certain products were not available in the first grocery store, to establish the cost of meals per portion. Things like oil and seasonings have not been included in the costs.

Using recipes that accurately measure plant protein portions, and comparing a vegetarian menu to a mixed menu for one week, there’s a difference of $10.84 per week in favor of the vegetarian menu. The difference lies in three recipes that provide two meals each (chicken pie, salmon, pork). After one year, the vegetarian will have saved $564.

What Plant-Based Proteins Are Good for my Wallet?

If tofu doesn’t appeal to you, don’t throw in the towel just yet. Try incorporating more lentils and chickpeas, among other things, into your meals. These products are inexpensive and very accessible. For the sake of your wallet, stay away from imitation meat. Replicating sausages, cold cuts and minced meat, for example, these ultra-processed foods can cost over 40% more than ordinary meat.