Beef in Alberta, Canada is $15 per pound in 2025

Dec 11, 2025

Beef is expensive because feeding and raising cattle is expensive. The biggest single cost in beef production is feed (pasture, hay, grain) which often represents a dominant share of ranch cash costs — and that cost has been elevated by drought-linked scarcity and grain price volatility.

Alberta grocery and butcher prices vary by cut, quality, and where you buy, but typical retail beef costs look like this:

Ground beef often runs roughly $10–$12+/kg (about $4.50–$5.50/lb) in butcher listings and reported retail pricing.

Steaks and premium cuts such as ribeye and T-bone can range from $19–$28+/lb at local meat shops (that’s ~$40–$60+/kg).

Bulk whole-animal beef often is priced by hanging weight around $6–$7+ per lb (or roughly $13–$15/kg), meaning a half or whole beef order can cost several thousand dollars altogether.

Official Alberta retail survey data from early 2024 had beef stewing cuts ~C$18–$20/kg, striploin ~C$25–$30/kg, and ground beef ~C$11–$12/kg — showing beef remains among the higher-priced proteins.

What can I do to reduce my spending on beef?
Price inflation is highly uneven across the carcass. Steaks absorb the glamour tax. Chuck, blade, brisket, shank, and inside round track much closer to wholesale economics. These cuts convert time into tenderness. Slow cooking is basically arbitrage. From a protein-per-dollar perspective, chuck roast routinely delivers 2–3× the value of ribeye with identical amino acid content and only modest differences in fat profile once cooked properly