Worse in the raw cash outlay per food calorie, maybe, but you also have to adjust for food deserts — ancillary costs to acquire groceries @ IRS rate of $0.725/mile, nearest grocery store is 1.5 miles away, which doesn't sound like a lot but it sure does add up! — energy budget decisions for 15 minutes of food preparation vs. 15 minutes of extra study/rest/sleep, heat output of one hour of oven vs. lack of air conditioning at home during extended multi-week summer heat waves, and so on.

I'm one of those on a much-reduced budget without access to a home oven (kitchenettes and single-top induction burners are wonderful things), without central AC at home (I do miss it but AI replaced my former industry), and live in a food tundra (slightly higher food density than a desert but more from luck than urban planning), so if it's all the same to you, I'm just going to ignore the recipe and move on.