Free calculator
Pet food cost calculator
A $60 bag of 30 lb fed at 150 g a day costs $0.66 a day, $20.13 a month, and lasts 91 days. Enter your bag's price, weight and your pet's daily portion to see the real monthly cost, the price per 1,000 kcal, and how a second food compares at the same calories.
Compare with a second food (optional)
Result
- Cost per month
- $20.13
- Cost per day
- $0.66
- Days per bag
- 91 days
- Bags per year
- 4.0
- Cost per 1,000 kcal
- $1.22
A month is 30.44 days. The comparison feeds the same calories from both foods, so a denser food needs fewer grams; treats and toppers are not included.
Budgeting for a kennel, a shelter or a multi-pet home?
Pro totals the monthly cost per animal and per food, with the bag figures you entered, and prints it as one page.
How it works
Cost per day = bag price / bag weight x grams per day / 1,000. A month is counted as 30.44 days (365 / 12), so the monthly figure is what a bank statement shows on average, not a 30-day guess. Days per bag = bag weight in grams / grams per day; bags per year = 365 / days per bag.
The price per 1,000 kcal is the fair way to compare foods: a denser food costs more per kg but needs fewer grams. With the kcal per kg from both bags, the comparison feeds the same calories from each food. In the example, a $75 bag at 4,200 kcal/kg needs only 129 g a day to match 150 g of the 3,600 kcal/kg food, and costs $21.57 a month against $20.13.
The daily portion comes from the dog or cat food calculator, or from the feeding chart on the bag. Treats, toppers and dental chews are extra; if they are more than 10% of calories, the main food should shrink accordingly. Prices are yours to type: the calculator holds no price list and makes no claims about brands.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to feed a dog per month?
- It is the bag price divided by how many days the bag lasts, times 30.44. A $60, 30 lb bag fed at 150 g a day lasts 91 days and costs $20.13 a month; a 40 kg dog eating 500 g a day of the same food would pay about $67.11. Type your own bag to get your number.
- How long does a 30 lb bag of dog food last?
- 30 lb is 13,608 g. At 150 g a day it lasts 91 days; at 300 g a day, 45 days. Divide the bag's grams by your daily portion.
- Is the more expensive food actually more expensive?
- Compare per 1,000 kcal, not per bag. The example $60 bag at 3,600 kcal/kg costs $1.22 per 1,000 kcal; a $75 bag at 4,200 kcal/kg costs $1.31, and because it needs fewer grams the monthly bill is $21.57 against $20.13.
- Does wet food cost more than dry food?
- Per calorie, almost always: wet food is 75-80% water, so a pouch or can carries far fewer calories per gram than kibble. Enter a case of cans as a 'bag' (price of the case, total grams, kcal per kg from the label) and the calculator gives the same cost per 1,000 kcal for a fair comparison.