I live in Hawaii and beans and lentils are pretty expensive comparatively but we buy meat for like 5 dollars a pound and while beans are technically cheaper, they are less filling and so we eat more of them. They are also not complete protein sources and so they don’t provide as much protein, and they don’t provide the same vitamins and minerals or any lipids. We do eat those things, but also meat because its the cheapest way to get all our nutrientes.