Why per-unit price beats comparing sticker prices
A $6 bag of flour and a $4 bag of flour aren't directly comparable if they're different sizes — the only fair comparison is price per unit (per pound, per ounce, per gram). A 10 lb bag at $6 is $0.60/lb, while a 5 lb bag at $4 is $0.80/lb — the larger bag is actually the better value here even though its sticker price is higher, which is easy to miss without doing the per-unit math. This same per-unit number is also exactly what feeds into accurate recipe costing — once you know an ingredient's true per-unit price, multiplying by however much a recipe actually uses gives a precise cost, rather than guessing at a whole package's worth.
A note on unit consistency
This calculator doesn't convert between units automatically — if you enter a package size in pounds, the per-unit result is per pound, and "amount used" should also be in pounds. If your recipe calls for cups but your package is priced by weight, convert the recipe amount to weight first (our cups-to-grams or ingredient weight-chart pages can help) before using this calculator, so the units actually match.
FAQ
Can I use this for produce sold "each" instead of by weight? Yes — select "each" as the unit and enter the price for however many items came in the package (e.g., a $3 bag of 6 lemons is $0.50 each).
Does this factor in sales tax? No — enter the pre-tax price if you want a pure ingredient-cost comparison; add tax separately if your actual out-of-pocket cost matters more than the comparison itself.