Personally, I buy protein powder even though I know the ingredients are actually too cheap to justify the price. But I’m too lazy, and the reward of a cold chocolate shake after working out makes me forget about the outrageous cost. It’s a little guilty pleasure I’ve come to terms with.
my whey powder has 79g Protein / 100g at €16/kg
tinned chick peas have 6.4g / 100g at €3,36 / kg
so about twice as expensive if my math is right. i guess dried and buying in bulk would seriously drop chick pea price, but also chick peas are not a complete protein and dried chick peas are quite a hassle.