How much does wet cat food cost per month?

A 4 kg indoor cat needs 2.5 pouches of 90 kcal a day, 77 a month: 30.6 at 0.40 a pouch, 53.6 at 0.70, 114.8 at 1.50. Larger cans with more kcal per unit usually cost less per 1,000 kcal than pouches.

Is dry food cheaper than wet food?

Per 1,000 kcal, almost always: a 3,800 kcal/kg kibble at 6 per kg costs 1.58 per 1,000 kcal, a 90 kcal pouch at 0.70 costs 7.78, about 5 times more. Wet food buys water (useful for cats that drink little) and palatability, not calories.

How long does a 2 kg bag last a cat?

About 34 days for a 4 kg indoor cat at 60 g a day, 38 days for a 3 kg cat and 29 for a 6 kg cat, on a 3,800 kcal/kg food. That is 10.9 bags a year for the 4 kg cat.

How much does it cost to feed a kitten?

More per kilogram of cat: a 12-week, 1.5 kg kitten needs about 267 kcal a day (178 kcal per kg at that age, NRC 2006), 64 g of a 4,200 kcal/kg kitten food, about 19.4 a month at 10 per kg. The amount rises with the kitten for the first six months, so recheck monthly.

How can I spend less without feeding less?

Buy by price per kilogram and per 1,000 kcal, not per bag: the larger bag of the same food is usually cheaper per kilogram, as long as it stays fresh to the end. Weigh the portion; a scoop that is 20% too big costs 20% more and makes an indoor cat fat, which costs more again later.

How much does it cost to feed a cat per month?

An indoor 4 kg (8.8 lb) cat eats about 60 g of a 3,800 kcal/kg kibble a day, which at 6 per kilogram of food comes to about 10.9 a month; on 90 kcal pouches alone it eats 2.5 pouches a day, about 53.6 a month at 0.70 a pouch. Prices are in whatever you pay in, so the tables give the monthly cost at four price points for dry, wet and half-and-half feeding, plus the cost per 1,000 kcal, the only fair way to compare a bag with a pouch.

Open the pet food cost calculator

Dry food: cost per month by weight and price

Grams a day from the indoor-cat equation (NRC 2006, the line for neutered cats that live inside) on a 3,800 kcal/kg kibble, then the monthly cost at four prices per kilogram of food. Divide the bag price by the bag weight to find your column. Kittens eat more per kilogram of body weight: see how many calories a kitten needs.

Monthly cost of dry food (3,800 kcal/kg, indoor cat)
Cat weight	Grams a day	4 per kg	6 per kg	10 per kg	15 per kg
3 kg (6.6 lb)	53 g	6.5	9.7	16.2	24.2
4 kg (8.8 lb)	60 g	7.3	10.9	18.1	27.2
5 kg (11 lb)	65 g	7.9	11.9	19.8	29.7
6 kg (13.2 lb)	70 g	8.5	12.8	21.3	32

Wet food: pouches and cost per month

The same calories from 85 g pouches of 90 kcal, the size printed on most adult pouches; a 70 or 110 kcal pouch moves the count up or down by the same share. See how much wet food to feed a cat for pouches by label calories, or how much wet food to feed a cat in grams for grams by the kcal per 100 g.

Monthly cost of wet food only (90 kcal pouches, indoor cat)
Cat weight	Pouches a day	0.40 each	0.70 each	1.00 each	1.50 each
3 kg (6.6 lb)	2.2 pouches	27.3	47.8	68.2	102.3
4 kg (8.8 lb)	2.5 pouches	30.6	53.6	76.6	114.8
5 kg (11 lb)	2.7 pouches	33.5	58.6	83.7	125.6
6 kg (13.2 lb)	3 pouches	36	63	90	135.1

Half wet, half dry

Half the calories from pouches at 0.70 and half from kibble at 6 per kilogram, the most common compromise: the cat gets the water and the taste of wet food while the bill stays closer to the dry column.

Monthly cost of mixed feeding (50% wet at 0.70 a pouch, 50% dry at 6 per kg)
Cat weight	A day	Dry cost	Wet cost	Total a month
3 kg (6.6 lb)	27 g + 1.1 pouches	4.8	23.9	28.7
4 kg (8.8 lb)	30 g + 1.3 pouches	5.4	26.8	32.2
5 kg (11 lb)	33 g + 1.4 pouches	5.9	29.3	35.2
6 kg (13.2 lb)	35 g + 1.5 pouches	6.4	31.5	37.9

How long a bag lasts

Days per 2 kg bag and bags per year (3,800 kcal/kg, indoor cat)
Cat weight	Grams a day	Days per 2 kg bag	Bags a year
3 kg (6.6 lb)	53 g	38	9.7
4 kg (8.8 lb)	60 g	34	10.9
5 kg (11 lb)	65 g	31	11.9
6 kg (13.2 lb)	70 g	29	12.8

Cost per 1,000 kcal: comparing a bag with a pouch

A price per kilogram of kibble and a price per pouch cannot be compared directly; cost per 1,000 kcal can, because the cat needs a fixed number of calories whatever they come in. The pet food cost calculator does this for any two foods from the price, weight and kcal per kg on the pack, and the cat food calculator gives the grams and pouches for your own cat.

Cost per 1,000 kcal by food and price
Food and price	Per 1,000 kcal
Dry food at 4 per kg (3,800 kcal/kg)	1.05
Dry food at 6 per kg (3,800 kcal/kg)	1.58
Dry food at 10 per kg (3,800 kcal/kg)	2.63
Dry food at 15 per kg (3,800 kcal/kg)	3.95
90 kcal pouch at 0.40	4.44
90 kcal pouch at 0.70	7.78
90 kcal pouch at 1.00	11.11
90 kcal pouch at 1.50	16.67

Frequently asked questions

How much does wet cat food cost per month?: A 4 kg indoor cat needs 2.5 pouches of 90 kcal a day, 77 a month: 30.6 at 0.40 a pouch, 53.6 at 0.70, 114.8 at 1.50. Larger cans with more kcal per unit usually cost less per 1,000 kcal than pouches.
Is dry food cheaper than wet food?: Per 1,000 kcal, almost always: a 3,800 kcal/kg kibble at 6 per kg costs 1.58 per 1,000 kcal, a 90 kcal pouch at 0.70 costs 7.78, about 5 times more. Wet food buys water (useful for cats that drink little) and palatability, not calories.
How long does a 2 kg bag last a cat?: About 34 days for a 4 kg indoor cat at 60 g a day, 38 days for a 3 kg cat and 29 for a 6 kg cat, on a 3,800 kcal/kg food. That is 10.9 bags a year for the 4 kg cat.
How much does it cost to feed a kitten?: More per kilogram of cat: a 12-week, 1.5 kg kitten needs about 267 kcal a day (178 kcal per kg at that age, NRC 2006), 64 g of a 4,200 kcal/kg kitten food, about 19.4 a month at 10 per kg. The amount rises with the kitten for the first six months, so recheck monthly.
How can I spend less without feeding less?: Buy by price per kilogram and per 1,000 kcal, not per bag: the larger bag of the same food is usually cheaper per kilogram, as long as it stays fresh to the end. Weigh the portion; a scoop that is 20% too big costs 20% more and makes an indoor cat fat, which costs more again later.

How much does it cost to feed a dog per month?
Monthly dry food cost for small, medium and large dogs and by weight from 5 to 40 kg, at 3 to 12 per kg of food, days per bag and cost per 1,000 kcal.
How much does it cost to feed a puppy per month?
Monthly puppy food cost by adult size and growth stage at 3 to 12 per kg of a 4,000 kcal/kg puppy food, next to the adult cost, and days per bag.
How many cups of dog food per day?
Cups of kibble a day by dog weight from the calories on your bag: tables for 300 to 450 kcal per cup, inactive and active adults, and meals.
How much should I feed my dog? Grams and cups by weight
Daily calories and grams of dry food for dogs from 2 to 50 kg, inactive and active, on foods from 3,400 to 4,000 kcal/kg, with the WSAVA chart range.

Sources

NRC 2006, Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats — adult, puppy and kitten energy equations
WSAVA, Calorie Needs for Healthy Adult Dogs (July 2020) — chart range for dogs
WSAVA, Calorie Needs for Healthy Adult Cats (July 2020) — chart range for cats
AAHA 2021 Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines — weight loss at the resting requirement of the target weight

Published 2026-09-17, last updated 2026-10-03. Figures are starting points from the published equations: individual animals vary by up to 30%, so adjust by body condition and ask your vet for puppies under 8 weeks, pregnancy, lactation or any illness.