Is consuming sugar with food as beneficial as consuming glucose (~half of the amount of sugar)?
You have it backwards. One sugar molecule is equivalent to two glucose molecules, though the actual structure of sugar (Sucrose) is a Glucose + Fructose combination.

While Glucose is metabolized via Glycolysis into two molecules of Pyruvate (which are then used in the Citric Acid Cycle), Fructose enters the Glycolysis metabolism at a later stage as shown here:



The GA-3-P is then turned into 2-Phosphoglycerate and then into 2x Pyruvate.

The end result is that a single Sucrose molecule (Glucose + Fructose) [aka - Sugar] is equivalent to 4x Pyruvate, whereas Glucose alone is equivalent to 2x Pyruvate. Or, if you prefer, a single Glucose molecule results in about 32-36 ATP produced, whereas Sucrose will result in 64-72 ATP produced - with ATP being the primary energy carrier of the cell.