Rabbit statistics
A pet rabbit is a great option for anyone looking for a furry companion without the commitment of a larger pet. Find out more about pet rabbits in the UK. Read more…
How much do we spend on our pets?
Over £2.4 billion is spent each month on pets in the UK.
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.
Average lifetime cost of pets
Monthly spend per pet
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 £2.4 billion each month.
£2.4 billion
Spent on cats, dogs and rabbits each month in the UK.
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.
Average monthly cost by dog size
See the stats by dog breed
| Breed | Size | Average lifespan (years) | Average monthly spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghan Hound | Large | 12.0 | £201 |
| Akita | Large | 12.5 | £193 |
| Alaskan Malamute | Large | 12.0 | £201 |
| Australian Cattle Dog | Medium | 12.5 | £168 |
| Australian Shepherd | Large | 12.5 | £193 |
| Basenji | Medium | 11.5 | £182 |
| Basset Hound | Large | 13.0 | £185 |
| Beagle | Medium | 13.5 | £155 |
| Bearded Collie | Large | 15.0 | £159 |
| Bedlington Terrier | Medium | 14.0 | £150 |
| Bernese Mountain Dog | Large | 8.0 | £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 | 11.0 | £219 |
| Boston Terrier | Small | 12.0 | £162 |
| Boxer | Large | 9.0 | £268 |
| Bulldog | Medium | 9.0 | £233 |
| Cairn Terrier | Small | 13.0 | £149 |
| Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Chihuahua | Small | 16.0 | £121 |
| Chow Chow | Medium | 11.0 | £219 |
| Cocker Spaniel | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Coton De Tulear | Small | 13.0 | £149 |
| Dachshund | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Dalmatian | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| Dandie Dinmont Terrier | Medium | 12.0 | £175 |
| Deerhound | Large | 11.0 | £219 |
| Dobermann | Large | 11.0 | £219 |
| Dogue de Bordeaux | Large | 10.0 | £241 |
| English Bull Terrier | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| English Setter | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| English Springer Spaniel | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Fox Terrier | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Foxhound | Large | 11.5 | £210 |
| French Bulldog | Small | 11.0 | £177 |
| German Pointer | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| German Shepherd | Large | 11.0 | £219 |
| German Spitz | Small | 16.5 | £118 |
| Giant Schnauzer | Large | 11.0 | £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 | 13.0 | £149 |
| Hungarian Vizsla | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| Irish Setter | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| Irish Terrier | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Irish Wolfhound | Large | 8.0 | £302 |
| Italian Greyhound | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Italian Spinone | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| Jack Russell Terrier | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Japanese Spitz | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Keeshond | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Komondor | Large | 11.0 | £219 |
| Labrador Retriever | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| Lakeland Terrier | Medium | 15.0 | £140 |
| Leonberger | Large | 11.0 | £219 |
| Lhasa Apso | Small | 13.0 | £149 |
| Maltese | Small | 13.0 | £149 |
| Manchester Terrier | Medium | 15.0 | £140 |
| Mastiff | Large | 10.5 | £230 |
| Miniature Pinscher | Small | 13.0 | £149 |
| Miniature Schnauzer | Small | 13.0 | £149 |
| Neapolitan Mastiff | Large | 9.0 | £268 |
| Newfoundland | Large | 9.0 | £268 |
| Norfolk Terrier | Small | 14.0 | £139 |
| Old English Sheepdog | Large | 12.5 | £193 |
| Papillon | Small | 14.0 | £139 |
| Parson Russell Terrier | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Pekingese | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Pointer | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| Pomeranian | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Poodle | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| Portuguese Water Dog | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| Pug | Small | 13.5 | £144 |
| Pyrenean Mountain Dog | Large | 11.5 | £210 |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback | Large | 11.0 | £219 |
| Rottweiler | Large | 11.0 | £219 |
| Saint Bernard | Large | 9.0 | £268 |
| Saluki | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| Samoyed | Large | 11.0 | £219 |
| Schnauzer | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Scottish Terrier | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Shar Pei | Medium | 11.0 | £191 |
| Shetland Sheepdog | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Shih Tzu | Small | 13.0 | £149 |
| Siberian Husky | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Spanish Water Dog | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Staffordshire Bull Terrier | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Tibetan Mastiff | Large | 13.0 | £186 |
| Tibetan Spaniel | Small | 14.0 | £139 |
| Tibetan Terrier | Medium | 13.5 | £155 |
| Weimaraner | Large | 12.5 | £193 |
| Welsh Corgi | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| Welsh Terrier | Medium | 13.0 | £161 |
| West Highland White Terrier | Small | 13.0 | £149 |
| Whippet | Medium | 13.5 | £155 |
| Yorkshire Terrier | Small | 14.5 | £134 |
By cat breed
| Breed | Average lifespan (years) | Average monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| British Longhair | 16.0 | £93 |
| British Shorthair | 16.0 | £93 |
| Cornish Rex | 15.0 | £94 |
| Domestic long/medium/short-hair | 13.5 | £104 |
| Norwegian Forest | 15.0 | £94 |
| Sphynx | 15.0 | £94 |
| Tonkinese | 15.0 | £94 |
| Burmese | 14.5 | £94 |
| Bengal | 14.0 | £94 |
| Birman | 14.0 | £94 |
| Devon Rex | 14.0 | £94 |
| Abyssinian | 13.5 | £94 |
| Maine Coon | 13.5 | £94 |
| Persian | 13.5 | £94 |
| Oriental | 13.5 | £91 |
| Egyptian Mau | 13.0 | £94 |
| Siamese | 13.0 | £94 |
| Turkish Van | 13.0 | £94 |
| Ragdoll | 12.0 | £94 |
| Balinese | 11.0 | £95 |
| Manx | 11.0 | £95 |
By rabbit breed
| Breed | Average lifespan (years) | Average 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 |
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.
For all media enquiries, please contact
Matt Mckenna
UK Communications Manager
M: +44 747 921 7816
T: +44 20 3828 1338
UK Communications Manager
M: +44 747 921 7816
T: +44 20 3828 1338
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