Total cost
$0.00
Average per month
$0.00
First year cost
$0.00
Recurring per year
$0.00
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Estimate the Total Cost of Owning a Dog
Estimate the true cost of owning a dog
This calculator helps you estimate the total cost of owning a dog over multiple years. It provides a year-by-year breakdown and applies an inflation rate to recurring costs so you can see how expenses may grow over time.
What the calculator includes
The model uses three recurring cost buckets plus an optional one-time upfront cost:
- Upfront cost (one-time) - adoption/purchase, initial gear, early vaccinations, setup.
- Monthly recurring cost - food and routine supplies, converted to yearly cost.
- Annual medical & insurance - checkups, preventive care, and insurance if applicable.
- Annual other costs - grooming, training, boarding, toys, replacements.
Because this site serves users globally, the $ symbol is used as a placeholder. You can enter your local currency amounts and interpret results accordingly.
How the math works
Recurring costs are adjusted by an annual inflation rate. For year \(y\) (starting at \(y=1\)), the inflation factor is:
\[ F(y)=\left(1+\frac{r}{100}\right)^{(y-1)} \]
Where \(r\) is the annual inflation rate (percent).
The yearly components are calculated as:
- Recurring per year: \(\;R(y)=12 \cdot M \cdot F(y)\)
- Medical per year: \(\;V(y)=A_m \cdot F(y)\)
- Other per year: \(\;O(y)=A_o \cdot F(y)\)
- Upfront cost: \(\;U(y)=U_0\) if \(y=1\), otherwise \(0\)
The total for year \(y\