so first of all, there's really no way mac and cheese is healthy unless you serve it with a side of brussels sprouts. it's comfort food.

aside from that, I think there must be some regional price differences here. a box of annie's mac and cheese is like $1.50, which goes down if you buy in bulk. if you're fancy you can add a pad of butter and/or some whole milk, but otherwise that's $1.50 to feed two people. an 8oz block of cheddar cheese is already $2 at target, and you still have to buy the pasta, milk etc.

mac and cheese is a surprisingly expensive food to cook at home though. I could definitely make a rice and beans for less money.