The Costco steak hack: is a whole ribeye really cheaper?

The "Costco steak hack" is buying a whole boneless ribeye (or strip loin) and cutting it into steaks yourself, instead of buying the steaks already cut. The whole piece costs less per pound, but you'll trim off some fat. Enter the prices on the two labels to see whether it pays off.

How the math works

When you trim fat off a whole ribeye, you paid for that fat too. So the real cost of your steaks is the price of the whole piece divided by the steak you keep. The whole ribeye is the better deal as long as that real price stays under the price of steaks already cut.

That gives a simple break-even: 1 minus (whole price ÷ cut price). At $12 a pound whole and $16 a pound cut, it's 25%: you could trim away up to a quarter of the weight and still come out ahead. Trim less than that and you save; trim more and the cut steaks were cheaper.

How much you trim depends on the piece and how lean you like your steaks, which is why the calculator asks you rather than guessing. If you weigh the trim once, you'll know your own number for next time.

Is it worth the work?

• You choose the thickness. Cutting your own means every steak is as thick as you like it.
• The trim isn't all waste. Some of what you cut away can go into stew meat, burgers or a stir-fry, which makes the real savings bigger than the calculator shows.
• You need room in the freezer. A whole ribeye makes a lot of steaks at once. Wrap the ones you won't cook in the next few days and freeze them.
• You need a sharp knife and a large cutting board. A whole ribeye is long and heavy.

For anything else sold in bulk, try the unit price calculator. The same math works for any whole cut against the same cut sold as steaks, like a whole strip loin against New York strip steaks. Just enter those prices instead.

Common questions

What is the Costco steak hack?

Buying a whole, uncut piece of beef, usually a boneless ribeye, and cutting it into steaks at home, because the whole piece costs less per pound than the same steaks already cut.

How much do Costco ribeyes cost?

It varies by warehouse, grade and week, and Costco doesn't publish meat prices, so we don't list them. The price per pound is on every package label, which is all the calculator needs.

Does the Executive 2% apply to meat?

Yes, meat from the warehouse is a regular purchase, so it earns the Executive reward like any other groceries. See the 2% reward, explained.

Can I return meat to Costco?

Costco's satisfaction guarantee covers most purchases. See the Costco return policy for what has a time limit.

This calculator uses only the numbers you enter; we don't assume a trim percentage because it varies too much from piece to piece. See how we check our numbers.