I’m Kayla, and I cook buffalo at home a lot. I buy it from stores, from ranch sites, and once from a rancher who dropped a quarter animal at my butcher. Folks ask me, “Isn’t it too pricey?” Well, yes and no. It depends on the cut, the store, and the season. Let me explain.
By the way, most “buffalo” in stores here is bison. Same thing for cooking and cost talk, so I’ll just say buffalo.
Where I buy and what I paid
Here’s what I’ve paid lately, with real receipts from my kitchen drawer.
If you’re curious how these numbers stack up nationwide, a quick spin through Hats of Meat shows real-time price snapshots that help me decide when to pounce and when to wait.
For an even deeper dive (I posted every receipt and my running spreadsheet), check out my full breakdown on Hats of Meat: What I Actually Pay For Buffalo Meat (And When It’s Worth It).
- Costco (Great Range brand, Denver): Ground buffalo 90% lean at $9.99 per lb, sold in a 2.5 lb pack. I’ve seen it go up to $10.99.
- Whole Foods (Cherry Creek): Ground at $11.99 per lb; sirloin steaks around $22–$24 per lb; ribeye around $34–$39 per lb.
- King Soopers/Kroger: Ground buffalo (Great Range) at $10.49 per lb on sale; regular was $11.49.
- Local butcher (Wheat Ridge): Stew meat at $14.99 per lb; marrow bones $4.50 per lb; liver $9.99 per lb. The owner calls me by name now. Kind of sweet.
- Wild Idea Buffalo (online): Ground at $12–$14 per lb; ribeye $39–$45 per lb; flat rate ship was $28 to me with dry ice, free ship promo over a bigger order.
- Northstar Bison (online): Sirloin $20–$26 per lb depending on grade; short ribs $13–$16 per lb; ship was $25 to me last time.
- Farmers market (summer): Steaks a bit higher—think $2–$4 per lb more—but the rancher threw in soup bones and a recipe card. I made bone broth that weekend and felt very proud.
You know what? Prices jump around. Holidays bring deals on roasts. Summer brings burger sales. When I see ground under $10 per pound, I grab two packs and freeze one.
Cut by cut: what it costs me
Buffalo is lean, so I pick cuts with care. Here’s my real-world range.
- Ground: $9.99–$12.99 per lb (store), $12–$14 online.
- Sirloin steak: $20–$26 per lb.
- Ribeye/NY strip: $32–$45 per lb.
- Chuck roast: $12–$18 per lb (great in the slow cooker).
- Stew meat: $13–$16 per lb.
- Short ribs: $13–$17 per lb.
- Liver/heart: $8–$12 per lb (cheap, nutrient-loaded).
- Marrow/soup bones: $3–$6 per lb.
- Jerky: $1.50–$3 per ounce. Pricey snack, but it saves me in long soccer games.
If a store only sells fresh, I ask for frozen stock in back. It’s often cheaper. Not always, but often.
The “bulk buy” story that saved me money (but ate my freezer)
Last fall I split a quarter bison from a Wyoming ranch with a friend. Hanging weight price was $10.50 per lb, plus processing. After trim and wrap, my take-home cost worked out to about $16 per lb across all cuts. That gave me roasts, steaks, ground, ribs, organs—the whole line.
Was it cheap? Not exactly. But I got ribeyes that would be $40 per lb a la carte, for that same blended price. The catch: you need freezer space and patience. Also, I had to learn not to overcook lean steaks. A quick sear, a rest, and butter. That’s the move.
How buffalo stacks up against beef in my cart
- Ground beef (grass-fed at my stores): $6–$9 per lb.
- Ground buffalo: $10–$13 per lb.
So buffalo is usually $3–$4 more per pound for ground. Steaks are a jump too. I still buy it because I like the clean taste and it sits light after dinner. Less greasy. My kids notice, weirdly enough. On taco night, there’s less orange fat in the pan, and my son calls it “the neat meat.” I didn’t teach him that. He just said it. Beyond taste, bison meat is a nutrient-dense food, offering a rich source of protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins, while being lower in fat and calories compared to beef.
If you’re curious how other wild game stacks up, I spent a week cooking nothing but moose and detailed the flavors, costs, and kitchen surprises here: I Cooked Moose Meat For A Week—Here’s What Happened.
Hidden costs I learned to expect
- Shipping: $20–$35 on most online orders, unless you hit a free-ship promo.
- Minimum order: Some sites make you build a bigger box. I plan a month of meals and fill it out with bones and ground to make it worth it.
- Waste: Overcook a steak and you’ll feel the pain in your wallet. I use a probe thermometer now. Pull at 125–130°F for medium-rare, rest, then slice. No shame in tools.
My budget playbook (simple, but it works)
- Buy ground in bulk when it hits $9.99–$10.49 per lb. Freeze flat in 1 lb bags for fast thaw.
- Pick sirloin instead of ribeye. It eats well if you marinate with olive oil, garlic, and a splash of soy.
- Use stew meat and chuck for big weekend pots. Chili, barbacoa, or French dip style. Monday lunches feel fancy.
- Mix 50/50 with mushrooms for burgers. Tasty, tender, cheaper.
- Watch email lists from Wild Idea and Northstar. Free ship codes pop up around holidays.
- Ask your butcher about “manager’s specials.” I scored short ribs at $11.99 per lb once. I still talk about that dinner.
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Real meals I made and what they cost me
- Game Day Chili: 2 lbs ground buffalo from Costco ($20), beans, tomatoes, spices ($8). Feeds 6–8. About $3–$4 per bowl with toppings.
- Weeknight Steak Salad: 1 lb sirloin from Whole Foods ($22), spring mix, blue cheese, walnuts ($6). Dinner for two. About $14 per plate. Felt like a bistro.
- Slow Cooker French Dip: 3 lb chuck roast from the butcher ($45), onions, broth, hoagies ($8). Makes 6 big sandwiches. About $8–$9 each, and better than takeout.
Honestly, that chili wins on value. It stretches.
Is buffalo worth the cost?
For me, yes—when I plan. The flavor is rich but clean. It’s lean, so it cooks fast. And I feel good after eating it. That feeling isn’t just in my head; buffalo’s conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content has been associated with potential health benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties. If money is tight that week, I stick to ground, stew, and bones for broth. If I’ve got room to splurge, I’ll get a ribeye and make a date-night plate with roasted carrots and a tiny pat of garlic butter. Simple, happy.
If lean, clean-tasting red meat is totally your thing, you might like my honest taste test of another mild, grass-fed game—Axis Deer Meat: My Honest Take From Pan To Plate.
Quick answers I wish someone told me
- Cheapest way to start? Ground from Costco or Kroger