Pet Cost Calculator: See What Your Pet Really Costs Per Month

Work out the true monthly, first year, annual and lifetime cost of your dog or cat. Enter your food, vet, insurance, grooming and other costs, and the calculator adds them up for you.

How the Pet Cost Calculator works

Enter your monthly food cost, your yearly vet cost, your monthly insurance, your monthly grooming cost, and your other monthly costs like treats, toys and litter. The calculator adds the monthly costs, then adds vet care divided by 12, because vet care is usually paid once or twice a year, not every month. It multiplies the monthly total by 12 to give the annual cost, adds your one time setup cost to give the first year cost, and multiplies the annual cost by the expected life in years to give the lifetime cost. The formula is simple: monthly cost equals food plus insurance plus grooming plus other costs plus vet care per year divided by 12. Annual cost equals monthly cost times 12. First year cost equals annual cost plus setup. Lifetime cost equals annual cost times years plus setup.

Use ranges, not single numbers, when you plan. If you are not sure about a cost, enter the middle of the range. If your pet is a puppy or a kitten, enter higher vet and setup costs. If your pet is a senior, enter higher vet costs. If you live in a city, vet and grooming costs are usually higher than in a rural area.

Worked example: a medium dog

Take a healthy adult medium dog. Food costs $55 a month. Vet care costs $400 a year, which is $33 a month when averaged. Insurance costs $40 a month. Grooming costs $25 a month. Other costs, treats, toys and waste bags, cost $25 a month. The monthly total is $178. The annual cost is $2,140. Setup, crate, bed, bowls, collar and lead, costs $300, so the first year cost is $2,440. Over 12 years, the lifetime cost is $25,980. That matches the published range for a medium dog, about $100 to $250 a month and $15,000 to $35,000 over a lifetime. Try the same numbers for a cat, with food $35, vet $300 a year, insurance $25, grooming $5 and other costs $30, and you get about $120 a month, which is in the normal cat range of $60 to $150 a month.

What most owners forget to count

Boarding and pet sitting is the cost most owners forget. Boarding a dog costs about $30 to $75 per night in the US, and a two week holiday can cost $400 to $1,000. A cat costs about $25 to $50 per night to board. Dog walking costs about $15 to $30 per walk, and day care costs about $25 to $50 per day. Add a holiday budget to your plan, even if you only travel a few times a year. Damage, extra cleaning, car cleaning, pet deposits and monthly pet rent also add up. If you rent, ask your landlord about a pet deposit and monthly pet rent before you bring a pet home.

US and UK prices

In the US in 2026, a dog costs about $100 to $250 per month, and a cat costs about $60 to $150 per month. In the UK, a dog costs about £90 to £220 per month, and a cat costs about £55 to £130 per month. Food, vet care, insurance and grooming are the four biggest costs in both countries. London and the south east of the UK are usually the most expensive, and US cities are usually more expensive than rural areas. Check local prices where you live, and use the calculator with local numbers for the most accurate total.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a dog cost per month?

A dog in the US costs about $100 to $250 per month in 2026. Small dogs cost $80 to $180 a month, medium dogs $100 to $250 a month, and large dogs $150 to $350 a month. Read our dog cost per month guide for the full breakdown.

How much does a cat cost per month?

A cat in the US costs about $60 to $150 per month in 2026. Read our cat cost per month guide for the full breakdown.

What is the lifetime cost of a pet?

A dog lives about 10 to 13 years and costs about $15,000 to $35,000 over a lifetime. A cat lives about 12 to 18 years and costs about $12,000 to $25,000 over a lifetime. Senior care is the most expensive part of a pet's life.

Does the calculator include emergency vet care?

No. Emergency vet care is not in the calculator, because it is not a regular monthly cost. One emergency visit can cost $1,000 to $5,000 for a dog and $800 to $4,000 for a cat. Keep an emergency fund or buy insurance to cover it.

Is pet insurance worth it?

Insurance is worth it if a large vet bill would be hard to pay at once. Compare the monthly premium with your savings, and check the deductible and the yearly limit. Use our Pet Insurance Cost Estimator to compare.

Related guides and calculators

Sources and how we priced this

Prices in this guide are ranges, not single facts, because published sources disagree. We used the American Pet Products Association 2025 and 2026 industry figures, Rover 2026 cost of dog ownership reports, the PDSA PAW Report and PDSA cost guides for the UK, the American Animal Hospital Association and the National Research Council feeding guidance, and published insurer and vet price lists in the US and the UK. All prices were checked in Nov 2026 and are shown in US dollars unless a UK section says pounds. Where a source gave one number, we widened it into a range to reflect size, breed and location.