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Average Cost of Microwavable Meals Per Week (2026)
Average Cost of Microwavable Meals Per Week (2026) The average cost of microwavable meals per week is $25 to $50 in 2026 for seven single-serve frozen dinners eaten one a day, at roughly $3.50 to $7 per meal. Budget store-brand frozen meals (Banquet, Michelina's) drop the week to $11-$18, while premium frozen entrees (Amy's, Sweet Earth) push it past $50. Shelf-stable microwave options — ramen cups, Hormel Compleats, microwave rice bowls — run cheaper still at $1 to $4 a meal. Price your own week against cooking the same dinners with the Recipe Cost Calculator(/food/recipe-cost-calculator). I leaned hard on microwavable meals during a three-week work crunch last winter and logged every receipt. I bought 21 single-serve frozen dinners that averaged $4.30 each — $90.30 total, or about $30 a week — and my cheapest stretch was a run of $1.89 budget brands while my priciest was a $7.49 organic bowl...
