Start with your breed
The six most popular dogs in America. Each guide breaks down purchase price, routine care, the health problems that actually show up, and what the whole thing adds up to.
#1 in America French Bulldog Non-Sporting group See what it costs → 
#2 in America Labrador Retriever Sporting group See what it costs → 
#3 in America Golden Retriever Sporting group See what it costs → 
#4 in America German Shepherd Herding group See what it costs → 
#5 in America Dachshund Hound group See what it costs → 
#6 in America Poodle Non-Sporting group See what it costs → 
$25,110 between the cheapest and the dearest
Chihuahua at $27,727. Poodle at $52,837. Same calculation, same sourced prices, wildly different answers.
Size drives most of it: food, medication doses and every procedure priced by body weight.
6.5 years separate the longest and shortest lived
Cane Corso at a measured median of 8.1 years, Shiba Inu at 14.6. From a study of 584,734 dogs, not a breed standard.
Lifespan multiplies through every other number, which is why we spent longer on it than anything else.
The question nobody else will answer
Is pet insurance actually worth it for your breed? We run the numbers both ways and publish the result, including when the answer is no.
Where we land
On expected value, coverage loses money for most breeds we have finished. The honest argument for buying it is protection against a catastrophic bill, not a return on premiums. We say so on every page, including the ones with an advertiser on them.
Every breed on one axis
Cost to own across a measured lifespan. Each dot is a breed, coloured by group. Hover or tap for the name.
Purchase, food, grooming, boarding and routine veterinary care across each breed's measured median lifespan. Health costs are reported separately on each breed page.
Cost to own, every breed
Purchase, routine care, and expected vet bills. Same calculation on every breed, so these compare directly.
| Breed | Lifetime | First year | Monthly | Median lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PoodleModerate health risk | $52,837 | $7,255 | $315 | 14 yrs |
| NewfoundlandModerate health risk | $49,081 | $7,885 | $372 | 11 yrs |
| Golden RetrieverHigh, late onset health risk | $48,931 | $7,175 | $309 | 13.2 yrs |
| MastiffModerate health risk | $48,077 | $8,705 | $445 | 9 yrs |
| Old English SheepdogModerate health risk | $47,997 | $7,185 | $331 | 12.1 yrs |
| CollieModerate health risk | $47,362 | $6,106 | $297 | 13.3 yrs |
| Labrador RetrieverModerate health risk | $45,825 | $6,595 | $292 | 13.1 yrs |
| Giant SchnauzerModerate health risk | $45,735 | $6,998 | $315 | 12.1 yrs |
| AkitaModerate health risk | $45,684 | $7,075 | $334 | 11.4 yrs |
| Saint BernardModerate health risk | $45,518 | $8,045 | $408 | 9.3 yrs |
| WeimaranerModerate health risk | $44,843 | $6,273 | $292 | 12.8 yrs |
| SamoyedModerate health risk | $44,752 | $7,372 | $285 | 13.1 yrs |
| Great DaneHigh, mid life health risk | $44,330 | $7,595 | $349 | 10.6 yrs |
| BullmastiffModerate health risk | $43,805 | $7,471 | $358 | 10.2 yrs |
| Rhodesian RidgebackModerate health risk | $43,687 | $6,857 | $303 | 12 yrs |
| Irish SetterModerate health risk | $43,602 | $6,151 | $282 | 12.9 yrs |
| Portuguese Water DogModerate health risk | $43,586 | $7,076 | $279 | 13 yrs |
| Australian ShepherdLow health risk | $43,532 | $5,985 | $265 | 13.7 yrs |
| Great PyreneesModerate health risk | $43,443 | $6,725 | $332 | 10.9 yrs |
| HavaneseLow health risk | $42,986 | $6,245 | $247 | 14.5 yrs |
| DalmatianModerate health risk | $42,954 | $6,029 | $271 | 13.2 yrs |
| English Springer SpanielModerate health risk | $42,789 | $5,975 | $264 | 13.5 yrs |
| Chow ChowModerate health risk | $42,741 | $6,613 | $294 | 12.1 yrs |
| Airedale TerrierModerate health risk | $42,723 | $6,410 | $297 | 12 yrs |
| VizslaModerate health risk | $42,390 | $6,038 | $262 | 13.5 yrs |
| Bernese Mountain DogHigh, mid life health risk | $42,173 | $7,935 | $348 | 10.1 yrs |
| Australian Cattle DogModerate health risk | $41,439 | $5,631 | $247 | 14 yrs |
| German Shorthaired PointerLow health risk | $41,374 | $5,865 | $257 | 13.4 yrs |
| German ShepherdHigh, mid life health risk | $40,121 | $6,525 | $296 | 11.3 yrs |
| Miniature SchnauzerModerate health risk | $39,756 | $5,885 | $249 | 13.3 yrs |
| Belgian MalinoisModerate health risk | $39,603 | $6,975 | $275 | 12 yrs |
| Yorkshire TerrierModerate health risk | $39,474 | $6,095 | $247 | 13.3 yrs |
| RottweilerHigh, mid life health risk | $39,348 | $7,125 | $309 | 10.6 yrs |
| Shih TzuModerate health risk | $39,131 | $5,855 | $255 | 12.8 yrs |
| Basset HoundModerate health risk | $39,082 | $5,645 | $261 | 12.5 yrs |
| Border CollieModerate health risk | $39,035 | $5,781 | $248 | 13.1 yrs |
| Shiba InuModerate health risk | $38,669 | $6,163 | $221 | 14.6 yrs |
| Doberman PinscherHigh, late onset health risk | $38,495 | $6,865 | $286 | 11.2 yrs |
| WhippetModerate health risk | $37,689 | $5,617 | $234 | 13.4 yrs |
| Lhasa ApsoModerate health risk | $37,165 | $5,465 | $221 | 14 yrs |
| Siberian HuskyLow health risk | $37,124 | $5,815 | $260 | 11.9 yrs |
| Shetland SheepdogModerate health risk | $36,661 | $5,309 | $228 | 13.4 yrs |
| BloodhoundModerate health risk | $36,629 | $6,643 | $328 | 9.3 yrs |
| BoxerHigh, late onset health risk | $36,605 | $6,305 | $270 | 11.3 yrs |
| West Highland White TerrierModerate health risk | $36,382 | $5,612 | $226 | 13.4 yrs |
| DachshundHigh, mid life health risk | $36,365 | $5,965 | $216 | 14 yrs |
| Cocker SpanielModerate health risk | $35,799 | $5,495 | $224 | 13.3 yrs |
| Cavalier King Charles SpanielHigh, mid life health risk | $35,349 | $6,605 | $250 | 11.8 yrs |
| Scottish TerrierModerate health risk | $35,180 | $5,659 | $231 | 12.7 yrs |
| PapillonModerate health risk | $34,814 | $5,309 | $200 | 14.5 yrs |
| Italian GreyhoundModerate health risk | $34,753 | $5,757 | $207 | 14 yrs |
| PomeranianModerate health risk | $34,683 | $5,955 | $237 | 12.2 yrs |
| Chinese Shar-PeiModerate health risk | $34,178 | $6,445 | $269 | 10.6 yrs |
| Bichon FriseModerate health risk | $33,482 | $5,565 | $223 | 12.5 yrs |
| MalteseModerate health risk | $32,913 | $5,637 | $209 | 13.1 yrs |
| BeagleLow health risk | $32,782 | $5,095 | $219 | 12.5 yrs |
| BasenjiModerate health risk | $32,147 | $5,905 | $221 | 12.1 yrs |
| BrittanyModerate health risk | $31,755 | $5,409 | $238 | 11.1 yrs |
| Cane CorsoHigh, mid life health risk | $31,747 | $7,465 | $327 | 8.1 yrs |
| Boston TerrierHigh, early onset health risk | $30,787 | $5,715 | $217 | 11.8 yrs |
| BulldogHigh, early onset health risk | $30,783 | $7,915 | $262 | 9.8 yrs |
| PugHigh, early onset health risk | $30,766 | $5,755 | $221 | 11.6 yrs |
| French BulldogHigh, early onset health risk | $28,769 | $7,485 | $245 | 9.8 yrs |
| ChihuahuaModerate health risk | $27,727 | $4,815 | $196 | 11.8 yrs |
Every breed uses measured lifespan data and published disorder rates. Breed-specific research is complete for 63 of 64; the rest also carry baseline rates measured across the whole dog population.
Nothing here is a guess
Lifespan from a study of 584,734 dogs. Disorder rates from veterinary clinical records. Prices from a cost study covering all 50 states.
Where a figure does not exist, we leave it blank rather than inventing one. A script re-checks every number against its source and fails the build if anything disagrees.
How we get the numbers
How often
Diagnosis rates from peer-reviewed studies of hundreds of thousands of dogs in primary-care practice, not owner surveys.
When
The age range a condition usually first appears, because timing decides what you can still do about it.
How much
US veterinary prices from a commissioned study of all 50 states, not a guess or a content site's range.
Figures we modelled are labelled as modelled. Figures we could not source contribute nothing at all rather than a guess. Read the method.