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Is eating without animals expensive?

This historical simulation uses August 2022 prices and estimated nutritional values. Explore the vegan basic basket proposed in Chile; these are not current prices or personal dietary advice.

Your month

Compare the monthly cost.

People in this simulation

1

The same basket is repeated per person and per 30-day month. Amounts do not adjust for age, individual needs or household purchasing.

Vegan basic basket
Official basket recalculated by the study (2,300 kcal)
Savings per year

Vegan basic basket Official basket recalculated by the study (2,300 kcal) the difference · Each dot, CLP 2,000 a month

Build your plate

Your day, in dots.

This plate holds the 42 foods in the study's vegan basket, in the amounts for one day. Change it and see what happens to the calories and to the cost.

  1. 01

    Each dot on the plate represents about 3 grams of food. Its color identifies the group.

  2. 02

    Try a combination, or use + and − on each group.

  3. 03

    Watch how the day's calories and the monthly cost change, compared with the official basket.

Hover over or tap a section of the plate to see its foods.

Try a combination

Legumes and soy100 %
Grains100 %
Vegetables100 %
Fruit100 %
Seeds and nuts100 %
Plant milk and others100 %
Study reference: 2,300 kcal

Per day

Per month, per person

Recalculated official basket

The plate adds up food only, without supplements. Rounded food costs add up to CLP 87,425 for the full basket, CLP 3 more than the published total (CLP 87,422).

Reference studies

Three studies, their scope.

Canasta Básica oficial y propuesta de Canasta Básica Vegana

Using August 2022 prices, the study compares CLP 87,422 a month for the vegan basket with CLP 92,893 for the recalculated official basket: 5.9% less. Without supplements, the proposal meets 26 of 28 indicators under the report’s criteria; vitamin D and choline need review. Including the budgeted supplements brings the total to CLP 92,084, about 0.9% less.

Read the study (PDF, in Spanish)

Menú JUNAEB vs. menú vegano para liceos

Across five days, the report classifies 21 of 27 indicators as met by the vegan menu and 15 of 27 by the omnivorous menu. Estimated weekly costs are CLP 10,707 and CLP 11,894 respectively, about 10% less. These counts are not a percentage of the total quantity of nutrients.

Read the study (PDF, in Spanish)

Caja vegana vs. caja omnívora para estudiantes de la JUNAEB

Under the report’s ten-day assumption, the vegan box meets 20 of 27 indicators and the omnivorous box meets 16 of 27. Calcium in the vegan proposal reaches 86% of the study’s reference and is one of its unresolved indicators. The comparison applies to these boxes, not to all diets.

Read the study (PDF, in Spanish)

Prices in Chilean pesos (CLP) as of August 2022, from supermarkets and markets in Santiago. Calories and nutrients from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) database. Supplements should be prescribed by a health professional. This is a reference tool, not a nutrition plan.

Larrain & Orrego, “Nutrition and cost analysis of the Ministry of Social Development's Basic Basket and proposal for a Vegan Basic Basket”, Animal Libre, November 1, 2022.

How the calculation works and where the data comes from

The monthly comparison preserves the totals published in the 2022 study: CLP 87,422 for food, an optional CLP 4,662 for supplements and CLP 92,893 for the official basket recalculated by the authors. The yearly difference is 12 identical months. Changing the plate does not change that full-basket comparison.

The plate multiplies each group’s amounts and costs by the selected percentage and adds the results. It uses one-decimal food energy values from appendix I: they add up to 2,299.9 kcal, shown as approximately 2,300. The appendix prints 2,299.8 kcal as its total; the 0.1 kcal difference reflects the published precision. The study’s 2,300 kcal reference does not determine individual needs or nutrient adequacy.

Prices are historical and refer to the products selected in the study. For example, the plant drink is NotMilk; choosing another brand can change cost and nutrients. The simulation does not update prices or calculate supplement doses.

Food and prices: page 19 · Energy by food: pages 58–59 · Supplements and comparison: pages 31–32

Original study basket: daily amounts and monthly cost per person, without supplements
Foodg/daykcal/dayCLP/month
Study plant drink (NotMilk)1604810,992
Whole-wheat bread1403503,906
Cooked chickpeas124198.83,140
Orange8037.63,120
Cooked spinach6214.36,417
Banana60.253.63,233
Carrot57.823.72,059
Cooked white beans5476.31,340
Sunflower seeds53309.56,344
Cooked rice5267.11,123
Apple50262,100
Broccoli salad4653.43,367
Tomato447.92,099
Oats42.2159.92,260
Cooked lentils4059.71,115
Orange juice4019.22,574
Kiwi3521.41,880
Cooked chard3061,782
Cooked quinoa30361,509
Textured soy3098.12,610
Flaxseed25133.52,243
Peanuts25146.82,768
Corn flakes2485.73,312
Cooked black beans2231.8602
Lettuce202.8704
Cooked zucchini204.2800
Cooked squash204954
Pear2011.4756
Tomato sauce204.8999
Red cabbage206.2992
Lemon juice122.6481
Chia seeds1053.42,397
Cooked pasta1015.7383
Hummus1017.7597
Raw spinach81.8552
Walnuts639.21,438
Mushrooms61.31,126
Reduced-sugar jam69.1774
Pumpkin seeds5281,349
Jam411.1432
Unsweetened cocoa24.6396
Olive oil217.7400