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How much do we spend on our pets?
Over £2.4 billion is spent each month on pets in the UK.
Updated
You can’t put a price on the pleasure of owning a pet. That said, you could be committing to spending thousands on unexpected vet bills arise if you haven’t taken out pet insurance. To find out how much our beloved pets are really costing us we compared costs of looking after common pets to find which would set you back the most per month and over the pet’s lifetime.
Dogs, by far, are the most expensive, costing £178 a month on average to look after. Cats and rabbits cost the same per month at £94, but the rabbit’s shorter lifespan makes it a cheaper pet in total.
| Pet | Lifetime cost |
|---|---|
| Dog | £26,438 |
| Cat | £15,590 |
| Bunny | £8,308 |
Monthly spend per pet
| Pet | Avg monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Dogs | £178 |
| Cats | £94 |
| Rabbits | £94 |
Combining these figures with the total population of each pet gets us the total amount of money being spent on pets in the UK: a shocking £2.36 billion each month in 2019.
£2.36 billion
Spent on cats, dogs and rabbits each month in the UK in 2019.
| Pet | Total monthly spend - 2018/19 | Total monthly spend - 2017/18 |
|---|---|---|
| Dogs | £1,598,000,000 | £1,598,000,000 |
| Cats | £708,000,000 | £755,000,000 |
| Rabbits | £56,000,000 | £84,000,000 |
| Total | £2,362,000,000 | £2,437,000,000 |
How does this vary by breed?
The cost of keeping a dog can vary a lot between breeds, and is most affected by the dog’s size. If you love dogs, but love frugality too, you might want to consider getting a smaller dog, as this could save you up to £65 a month.
| Dog size | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Small | £144 |
| Medium | £164 |
| Large | £209 |
See the stats by breed
| Breed | Avg. life span (years) | Avg. monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Chinchilla | 8.5 | £93 |
| English Angora | 8.5 | £93 |
| Himalayan | 8.5 | £93 |
| Lionhead | 8 | £93 |
| Netherland Dwarf | 8 | £93 |
| Dutch | 7.5 | £93 |
| Dwarf Lop | 7 | £94 |
| English Spot | 7 | £94 |
| French Lop | 7 | £94 |
| Rex | 7 | £94 |
| British Giant | 6.5 | £95 |
| Flemish Giant | 6.5 | £95 |
| English Lop | 6 | £95 |
| Breed | Average lifespan (years) | Average monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| British Longhair | 16 | £93 |
| British Shorthair | 16 | £93 |
| Cornish Rex | 15 | £94 |
| Domestic long/medium/short-hair | 13.5 | £104 |
| Norwegian Forest | 15 | £94 |
| Sphynx | 15 | £94 |
| Tonkinese | 15 | £94 |
| Burmese | 14.5 | £94 |
| Bengal | 14 | £94 |
| Birman | 14 | £94 |
| Devon Rex | 14 | £94 |
| Abyssinian | 13.5 | £94 |
| Maine Coon | 13.5 | £94 |
| Persian | 13.5 | £94 |
| Oriental | 13.5 | £91 |
| Egyptian Mau | 13 | £94 |
| Siamese | 13 | £94 |
| Turkish Van | 13 | £94 |
| Ragdoll | 12 | £94 |
| Balinese | 11 | £95 |
| Manx | 11 | £95 |
| Breed | Size | Avg. life span (years) | Avg. monthly spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghan Hound | Large | 12 | £201 |
| Akita | Large | 12.5 | £193 |
| Alaskan Malamute | Large | 12 | £201 |
| Australian Cattle Dog | Medium | 12.5 | £168 |
| Australian Shepherd | Large | 12.5 | £193 |
| Basenji | Medium | 11.5 | £182 |
| Basset Hound | Large | 13 | £185 |
| Beagle | Medium | 13.5 | £155 |
| Bearded Collie | Large | 15 | £159 |
| Bedlington Terrier | Medium | 14 | £150 |
| Bernese Mountain Dog | Large | 8 | £302 |
| Bichon Frise | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Bloodhound | Large | 8.5 | £284 |
| Border Collie | Medium | 13.5 | £155 |
| Border Terrier | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Borzoi | Large | 11 | £219 |
| Boston Terrier | Small | 12 | £162 |
| Boxer | Large | 9 | £268 |
| Bulldog | Medium | 9 | £233 |
| Cairn Terrier | Small | 13 | £149 |
| Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Chihuahua | Small | 16 | £121 |
| Chow Chow | Medium | 11 | £219 |
| Cocker Spaniel | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Coton De Tulear | Small | 13 | £149 |
| Dachshund | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Dalmatian | Large | 13 | £186 |
| Dandie Dinmont Terrier | Medium | 12 | £175 |
| Deerhound | Large | 11 | £219 |
| Dobermann | Large | 11 | £219 |
| Dogue de Bordeaux | Large | 10 | £241 |
| English Bull Terrier | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| English Setter | Large | 13 | £186 |
| English Springer Spaniel | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Fox Terrier | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Foxhound | Large | 11.5 | £210 |
| French Bulldog | Small | 11 | £177 |
| German Pointer | Large | 13 | £186 |
| German Shepherd | Large | 11 | £219 |
| German Spitz | Small | 16.5 | £118 |
| Giant Schnauzer | Large | 11 | £219 |
| Golden Retriever | Large | 13.5 | £179 |
| Gordon Setter | Large | 11.5 | £210 |
| Great Dane | Large | 8.5 | £284 |
| Greyhound | Large | 11.5 | £210 |
| Havanese | Small | 13 | £149 |
| Hungarian Vizsla | Large | 13 | £186 |
| Irish Setter | Large | 13 | £186 |
| Irish Terrier | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Irish Wolfhound | Large | 8 | £302 |
| Italian Greyhound | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Italian Spinone | Large | 13 | £186 |
| Jack Russell Terrier | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Japanese Spitz | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Keeshond | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Komondor | Large | 11 | £219 |
| Labrador Retriever | Large | 13 | £186 |
| Lakeland Terrier | Medium | 15 | £140 |
| Leonberger | Large | 11 | £219 |
| Lhasa Apso | Small | 13 | £149 |
| Maltese | Small | 13 | £149 |
| Manchester Terrier | Medium | 15 | £140 |
| Mastiff | Large | 10.5 | £230 |
| Miniature Pinscher | Small | 13 | £149 |
| Miniature Schnauzer | Small | 13 | £149 |
| Neapolitan Mastiff | Large | 9 | £268 |
| Newfoundland | Large | 9 | £268 |
| Norfolk Terrier | Small | 14 | £139 |
| Old English Sheepdog | Large | 12.5 | £193 |
| Papillon | Small | 14 | £139 |
| Parson Russell Terrier | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Pekingese | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Pointer | Large | 13 | £186 |
| Pomeranian | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Poodle | Large | 13 | £186 |
| Portuguese Water Dog | Large | 13 | £186 |
| Pug | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Pyrenean Mountain Dog | Large | 11.5 | £210 |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback | Large | 11 | £219 |
| Rottweiler | Large | 11 | £219 |
| Saint Bernard | Large | 9 | £268 |
| Saluki | Large | 13 | £186 |
| Samoyed | Large | 11 | £219 |
| Schnauzer | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Scottish Terrier | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Shar Pei | Medium | 11 | £191 |
| Shetland Sheepdog | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Shih Tzu | Small | 13 | £149 |
| Siberian Husky | Large | 13 | £186 |
| Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Spanish Water Dog | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Tibetan Mastiff | Large | 13 | £186 |
| Tibetan Spaniel | Small | 14 | £139 |
| Tibetan Terrier | Medium | 13.5 | £155 |
| Weimaraner | Large | 12.5 | £193 |
| Welsh Corgi | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| Welsh Terrier | Medium | 13 | £161 |
| West Highland White Terrier | Small | 13 | £149 |
| Whippet | Medium | 13.5 | £155 |
| Yorkshire Terrier | Small | 14.5 | £134 |
Sources
PDSALifetime costs were divided by each pet’s average lifespan to get the average costs per month. This was then multiplied by the population of each species, as reported by the pet food manufacturer’s association, to find the total amount spent on these pets each month in the UK.
Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact:
Matt Mckenna
UK Communications Manager
M: +44 747 921 7816
T: +44 20 8191 8806
UK Communications Manager
M: +44 747 921 7816
T: +44 20 8191 8806
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