Is Healthy Eating Expensive? 10 Practical Tips for Healthy Eating on a Budget from a Health & Wellbeing Coach
- Health Coaches Academy
- 3 days ago
- 9 min read
Table of contents:
A common perception is that eating healthy is expensive and healthy living is a luxury, reserved only for the wealthy. With rising food prices and the convenience of cheap takeaway meals and packaged foods, it's easy to see why many people feel this way.
However, the reality is often quite different. While some health-focused products can come with a premium price tag, eating well does not have to be costly. In fact, when you look beyond the checkout receipt and consider the long-term impact on your finances, health and quality of life, healthy eating on a budget can be one of the best investments you can make.
As Nici Kirchmann, HCA Graduate and Certified Health & Wellbeing Coach explains, “I understand where this belief comes from. Ultra-processed foods are marketed as cheap, quick, and convenient. You can feed a whole family with a fast-food meal for what feels like a fraction of the price of “healthy food.” It tastes good, it’s easy, and it’s everywhere. But this is one of the biggest myths in modern nutrition. When we look beyond the till slip and start looking at long-term health, energy, productivity, and medical costs, the picture changes completely.”
In this article, we'll compare the cost of common foods, explore the hidden financial burden of unhealthy eating, and share 10 practical tips to help you eat healthily on a budget.
The Cost of Healthy Eating
The table below highlights some of the cost differences between home-cooked meals, ready-made foods and takeaways. Across both the UK and South Africa, takeaway meals and many ready-made options tend to cost more for less overall value, particularly when they only cover one person or one sitting. By contrast, simple homemade meals such as chicken and vegetable stew or lentil soup can stretch across several portions, making them a more practical and affordable health meal choice for the week ahead. Even breakfast shows the same pattern: overnight oats made at home can be a much better value option than branded cereals or grab-and-go snack-style breakfast bars, while potentially providing more fibre, protein and other nutrients, depending on the ingredients used.
What you are eating matters just as much as how much you are spending. Homemade meals give you more control over what goes into your food, making it easier to add fibre, protein and colourful vegetables while cutting back on excess salt, sugar and ultra-processed ingredients.
Category | Item | United Kingdom | South Africa |
Takeaway Meals | Fast Food Combo Meal | £5.00 - £8.00 | R80.00 - R120.00 |
Takeaway Meal for 1 | £10.00 - £20.00 | R90.00 - R300.00 | |
3-Course Takeaway Meal for 2 | £40.00 - £80.00 | R500.00 - R1,200.00 | |
Ready Made Meals | Branded Cereal (30g serving) | £0.35 | R3.30 - R5.40 |
UK: Grocery Store Meal Deal | SA: Chips, Chocolate & Drink | £3.50 - £5.00 | R32.98 - R57.99 | |
Frozen Branded Ready Meal (1 portion) | £2.50 - £4.00 | R73.00 - R98.00 | |
Cooking at Home | Household Food Basket (Monthly) | £52.98 - £59.38 | R5,167.96 - R5,664.94 |
Overnight Rolled Oats (30g of 1kg bag) | £0.60 | R1.52 - R2.12 | |
Home-made Lentil Soup (servings: 8) | £0.75 - £1.00 | R120.00 - R180.00 | |
Chicken & Vegetable Stew (servings: 4) | £1.00 - £1.50 | R120.00 - R180.00 |
Sources: United Kingdom - The Guardian & Food Foundation | South Africa - Numbeo & BusinessTech
Why Healthy Eating Can Still Feel Expensive
While the comparisons above show that healthy eating can be affordable, the reality is that it does not always feel that way in everyday life. Cost is only one part of the picture. Healthy eating often requires time to plan, shop and cook, and for many people, especially busy working professionals and parents, that time is in short supply. Nowadays, people are spending far less time preparing meals than they did in previous decades, which helps explain why convenience foods and takeaways can feel like the easier option. Convenience is often priced for speed and ease, not for health.
There are other real barriers too. In some areas, cheap takeaways are far easier to find than fresh, affordable fruit and vegetables. For others, cooking from scratch may feel difficult without the time, confidence or skills to make simple low-cost meals. Healthy food can also seem more expensive because the upfront cost of a full shop feels higher than buying something quick for one meal, even if a full shop works out better-value over time. On top of that, food marketing often makes ultra-processed convenience foods look like the most practical choice. Acknowledging these pressures matters, because eating well is not just about willpower. It is about the environment, resources and the support people have around them.
While batch cooking requires planning upfront, it can make the rest of the week feel far easier. When there is already a nourishing soup, stew or simple breakfast ready to go, healthy eating becomes less about restraint and more about having supportive options within reach. This is not about guilt or perfection; it is a practical reminder that small, realistic habits can help you eat well, spend wisely and feel more in control.
Being Unhealthy is Expensive
Our diet is widely recognised as one of several important factors that influence both physical and mental health, alongside exercise, sleep, stress, genetics and social circumstances. While unhealthy habits can seem cheaper or easier in the short term, the longer-term health and financial costs of chronic illness can be significant.
South Africans are more vulnerable when it comes to out-of-pocket payments for ongoing treatment and medication. These cash prices at retail pharmacies are based on the government-regulated Single Exit Price plus dispensing fees:
Hypertension & cholesterol: generic medicines R60 - R170 per month | original brand-name options R400 - R500 per month.
Depression: generic medication may start at R100 per month | brand-name options can rise to R600+ per month.
Diabetes: a monthly supply of testing strips, needles, and basic insulin typically starts around R700 to R1,200. If using advanced continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) or premium insulin analogs, these costs rise steeply.
In the UK, the impact can feel different because many people do not pay large direct healthcare costs through the NHS. Prescription charges are currently £9.90 per item, and a 12-month Prescription Prepayment Card costs £114.50 for unlimited prescriptions over the year. That can make long-term medication feel manageable, routine or even “normal”, but it is still important to recognise the bigger picture. NHS England estimates that diabetes alone costs the tax payer over £10 billion annually, almost 10% of the entire UK health budget. While medication plays an essential role in managing many chronic conditions, prevention and lifestyle interventions are important parts of maintaining long-term health.
Consider the following:
Financial comparison: For some preventable chronic conditions, the long-term costs of treatment can far exceed the cost of maintaining healthier eating habits over time.
The productivity cost: Symptoms like 'brain fog,' low energy, and reduced concentration can quietly stall a career, impacting your professional progression and long-term earning potential. Because our food choices influence our hormone regulation and insulin stability, they also affect our clarity for decision-making and our daily energy levels.
It’s easy to overlook the hidden costs of a lifestyle built on convenience, often fuelled by fast foods that are lower in fibre, vitamins and minerals than minimally processed alternatives. While these options seem cheaper at the till, they often carry a long-term 'health tax'.
Ultimately, choosing nutrient-dense food isn't just a health decision, it’s an investment in your ability to perform at your best and maintain your independence as you age.
The Real Cost of Unhealthy Eating and Ultra-Processed Foods
What do we mean when we say “unhealthy eating?”
“Some foods are commonly recognised as less healthy choices, such as fast food, chips, sweets, cakes, fizzy drinks, alcohol and sugary cereals. Others may be less obvious because they are often marketed as convenient or healthy options. These can include certain processed and pre-packaged meals, diet bars, some salad dressings, products made with refined white flour, and foods containing highly refined oils and additives.” shares Nici.
“These foods are designed to be hyper-palatable and may encourage over-consumption. They disrupt your hunger hormones: ghrelin (which tells you you’re hungry) and leptin (which tells you you’re full). For some people, regularly consuming these foods may contribute to increased calorie intake, cravings and weight gain.”
“Many foods disguised as “healthy” are actually some of the most costly to your body.” These can include "low-fat" snacks high in sugar, or "diet" bars filled with additives.
When asked what ingredients are best to be avoided, Nici recommended “Highly refined seed oils, inferior quality meats, heavily processed chicken, sauces and condiments filled with additives, sugary cereals, preservatives, colourants, fillers, and corn syrup.”
“These foods spike blood sugar, create inflammation, and leave you hungry again within two hours.”
Over time, diets high in these ingredients can lead to an increased risk of:
Insulin resistance
Chronic inflammation
Low energy and brain fog
Sugar addiction and overeating
Weight gain and obesity
Type 2 diabetes and fatty liver
Heart disease and immune dysfunction
Poor sleep and reduced concentration
These conditions are not isolated. They are non-communicable diseases, or “lifestyle diseases.” According to the World Health Organization, the most common risk factors of NCDs are largely driven by 4 modifiable behaviours:
Tobacco use
Physical inactivity
Unhealthy diets
Harmful use of alcohol
When it comes to diet, Nici says “This is why reading labels is one of the first skills I teach my clients. Once you understand what’s in your food, your choices naturally change.”
As a Health & Wellbeing Coach, our job is to inform and empower our clients to make choices that nourish and sustain their bodies, and ultimately lead to a healthier and happier life.
To help make healthy eating more affordable, we’ve put together the following practical tips for healthy eating on a budget:
10 Tips for Healthy Eating on a Budget From a Health & Wellbeing Coach
Shop seasonally: Imported products that are out of season, such as strawberries in Winter, are much more expensive due to import charges.
Buy frozen fruit & veg: The same fruits and veg that are only available seasonally are frozen and generally available at a lower price. Buying frozen also means you can take out only what you need and avoid wastage.
Choose cheaper meat cuts: Buy chuck steak, whole chicken or ground meat (mince). Buying large quantities for a lower price also means you can use the meat for more meals throughout the week.
Consider cheaper protein sources: Having meat every day may be heavy on the pocket. Include more affordable options such as beans, lentils and eggs.
Buy in bulk: Buying certain products in bulk quantities can save you a lot of money. Grains, such as brown rice, millet, barley, and oats, as well as beans, lentils and certain nuts are all available in bulk. They can also last for a while if you store them correctly in airtight containers.
Batch cook/meal prep: Cooking in bulk saves money, time and prevents waste. Freeze what you don’t eat immediately and save it for when you are in need of a “quick meal”.
Drink at least two litres of water daily: Oftentimes the feeling of hunger is the same as the feeling of thirst. By drinking up to 2 litres of water daily, we can reduce the need for constant grazing and purchasing of snacks.
Reduce or avoid fruit juices, fizzy drinks and alcoholic beverages: These products vary in price, but can accumulate, putting strain on the budget, as well as spike blood sugar and cause unnecessary snacking.
Shop around / shop online / shop sales: Find different sources and suppliers that have better prices or buy in bulk when there is a sale (for produce that can keep).
Be selective about your quality products: Use the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 List to spend money on organic products that have the highest amount of pesticide residue if not organic, and pull back the purse strings when it comes to the products that have the lowest amount of pesticide residues.
The Case for Healthy Eating & Living & How a Health & Wellbeing Coach Can Help
“Healthy eating supports strong muscles and bones, a resilient immune system, better digestion, deeper sleep, faster recovery from injury, and lower inflammation. It reduces medical bills, lowers the risk of chronic disease, and helps protect independence as we age.”
“For many people, the challenge is not simply whether healthy eating is affordable, but how to make it practical and sustainable within the realities of daily life . Healthy eating on a budget is not about perfection or expensive superfoods. It's about making practical, sustainable choices that support your health while helping you manage your food spending over time. How we eat today can influence our quality of life, independence and health in the decades ahead?” explains Nici.
Many people understand the basics of healthy eating, but translating knowledge into consistent habits can be challenging. Why? Because behaviour change often requires a mindset shift, and most of us need help with that!
That’s where a Health & Wellbeing Coach can assist, by providing the environment to make clearer choices and identify barriers that are holding you back, and the opportunity to take specific action. A Health & Wellbeing Coach offers the accountability & support to empower you to live a healthier and happier life.
If you're passionate about helping people prevent chronic disease, build healthier habits, and create lasting behaviour change, a career in health coaching could be the perfect fit.
Join one of our free introductory webinars to discover what health coaching really involves, how it differs from traditional nutrition advice, and how our evidence-based training can equip you with the skills to support others in transforming their health and wellbeing.
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