Most Pet Owners Spend Over $4,000 a Year. Here’s Where the Money Goes
Owning a pet now comes with a price tag that rivals a down payment on a home.
New research from Money.com and Healthy Paws Pet Insurance finds the average U.S. dog or cat owner spends more than $4,000 a year — or about $50,000 over a typical 12-year lifespan.
For many households, that’s far more than they budgeted for. And at a time when price hikes on everyday items like groceries and gas are already stretching wallets thin, it's an expense that's getting hard to absorb.
Food is the biggest monthly expense
Food is the largest line item in many pet budgets, with 36% of owners spending more than $100 a month on kibble and treats alone, according to the February 2026 survey of 1,590 U.S. dog and cat owners.
Much of that comes down to how expensive pet food has become to produce, with higher ingredient, manufacturing and shipping costs all pushing prices up. Those costs are baked into even the cheapest kibble, and climb further for premium products that rely on higher-quality ingredients and more careful sourcing and preservation.
Still, many owners don't want to compromise on quality. According to the 2025 Dog & Cat Report from the American Pet Products Association, 41% of dog owners and 38% of cat owners are willing to pay a premium for specialty formulations and toppings that support their pet's overall health. In practice, that makes food one of the hardest pet expenses to scale back on.
Vet bills are high and unpredictable
Veterinary care is the second-largest pet expense — and the toughest to budget for.
Prices of vet services have increased 43% over the last five years, according to a Money analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
This is driven by a mix of factors.
On the one hand, care has improved. Pets now have access to specialists like cardiologists, neurologists and oncologists, and many clinics are furnished with expensive equipment similar to what you'd find in a regular hospital. At the same time, veterinarians are grappling with rising costs of their own, including staffing shortages and higher prices for supplies, drugs and vaccines. Some also report growing pressure to increase profits, particularly at clinics and veterinary hospitals owned by private equity firms.
Among those surveyed by Money and Healthy Paws, 29% said they spend at least $100 per month on vet care, and a third report paying around $50 for medications and supplements.
Routine care like checkups, vaccines and lab work can usually be planned for. Emergencies cannot — and when something goes wrong, costs can add up fast.
Pet owners who needed urgent care last year reported spending between $2,000 and $5,000. By contrast, nearly half (45%) of households that didn’t face an unexpected health issue kept their pet care spending under $1,000 for the entire year.
Smaller pet costs add up quickly
After food and vet care, most pet spending shifts to toys and pet care services — smaller expenses that are easier to manage but still add up over time.
Nearly half (47%) of pet owners say they spend little to nothing on grooming in a typical month, though 15% report spending $100 or more.
Toys and enrichment, while discretionary, are a steady expense. About 58% of owners spend between $1 and $49 monthly to keep their dogs and cats entertained.
Pet sitting, daycare and boarding take up the least space in most budgets, with a majority of pet owners (67%) reporting no monthly spending in this category. But when those costs do come up, they can be significant: hiring a house sitter through a platform like Rover run an average of $45 to $75 per night — or as much as $375 for a five-day vacation, depending on where you live. Doggy daycare, often used by owners who work long hours, can run anywhere from $15 to $50 per day.
How pet owners are stretching their dollars
As costs rise, many pet owners are looking for ways to cut back.
For everyday expenses like food and supplies, that often means shopping around for lower prices, buying in bulk or switching to generic medications.
But those strategies have limits — especially when it comes to medical care, which remains the most unpredictable and potentially expensive part of pet ownership.
If faced with a vet bill they couldn’t afford upfront, 38% of pet owners say they would put it on a credit card, while 20% would dip into their savings, even if it meant draining them, according to the survey. Others say they would consider personal loans or payment plans, underscoring how few easy options exist when costs spike.
That growing reliance on credit and savings only adds to the financial strain, and the pressure is mounting. Nearly a third (31%) of pet owners say they’re already spending more on their pets than a year ago, and 28% expect costs to keep going up.
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