Cost of owning a pet

Cats and dogs are a big personal and financial commitment.

In the first year alone, a cat or dog will cost you between $3,000 and $6,000. After your first year together expect to pay at least:

  • $1,627 each year for a dog
  • $962 each year for a cat

On top of this, you’ll need to pay for vet bills if your pet gets sick or injured. This can be very expensive. Factor it into your budget and consider whether pet insurance is right for you.

Make sure you consider all the costs of owning a pet:

Average annual
household spend, 2019
Dogs Cats Fish Birds Small mammals Reptiles total ($m) National
Food $586 $491 $125 $224 $226 $160 $3,949.9
Veterinary services $470 $261 $24 $60 $136 $77 $2,616.0
Pet healthcare
products
$224 $147 $60 $88 $96 $72 $1,422.6
Products or
accessories
$157 $96 $137 $122 $108 $221 $1,174.2
Pet insurance $147 $69 $744.5
Clipping / grooming $154 $45 $710.3
Boarding / minding $108 $96 $666.4
Training / behaviour /
therapy
$70 $36 $364.4
Alternative healthcare
treatments
$57 $44 $335.8
Transport $51 $43 $305.5
Competitions /
memberships
$35 $29 $26 $29 $20 $64 $281.6
Walking $37 $144.1
Anything else $61 $35 $39 $30 $18 $34 $404.3
Average per
household*
$2,158 $1,393 $411 $552 $605 $629
Average per
animal*
$1,627 $962 $38 $86 $254 $336
National Total ($m) $8,303.6 $3,624.2 $434.7 $478.9 $155.9 $122.3 $13,119.6

NB: Above table excludes Council registration costs which can vary from between $30 and $200 per year.

Averages presented in this table include those who spent nothing, for ease of extrapolation to the broader population

(Source: Animal Medicines Australia Report: Pets in Australia – A National Survey of Pets and People 2019)