How much is pet insurance? Average costs for dogs and cats

NAPHIA says its data covers almost all pet insurance sold in the US and Canada. Its 2025 numbers show three price levels, one for each kind of plan. The monthly column is simple example math: the yearly average divided by 12, then rounded.

These are averages across many pets. Your own quote can be higher or lower. A young mixed breed cat in a small town will often cost far less than an older large dog in a big city.

New to the topic? Our guide to how pet insurance works explains the basics first.

The NAIC, the group of state insurance regulators, says insurers split pet plans into three main kinds: accident only, accident and illness, and wellness coverage.

• Accident only pays for injuries, like a broken leg or a swallowed sock. It does not pay for illness. See accident-only pet insurance.
• Accident and illness also pays for sickness, like ear infections, allergies or cancer. This is the plan most people mean when they say pet insurance. See accident and illness pet insurance.
• Wellness covers routine care, like checkups and shots. NAPHIA tracks plans with wellness built in as their own group. In 2025 they averaged $1,414 a year for dogs and $859 for cats.

Some states now have rules for wellness plans. In Rhode Island, for example, a wellness program cannot be required to buy pet insurance, and its cost must be shown apart from the policy. Read more in pet wellness plans.

The AVMA, the national group for vets, tracks what pet owners spend at the vet. In its 2025 report, a household with a dog spent an average of $598 a year at the vet. A household with a cat spent $529. A household can have more than one pet, so this is a rough guide.

Put those next to the insurance prices. The average dog plan, at $836, costs more than an average year of dog vet bills. The average cat plan, at $435, costs a bit less than an average year of cat vet bills.

That does not mean insurance is a bad deal or a good one. An average hides the hard years. Most years, a pet needs only a checkup. Then one year it eats something it should not, and the bill is in the thousands. Insurance is built for that rare, large bill, not for the normal year.

So the real question is this: could you pay a large surprise bill from savings? If yes, you may not need a plan. If no, a plan turns that risk into a steady monthly cost. Our page on whether pet insurance is worth it walks through both sides.

The NAIC says the cost depends on the species, breed, gender, age and location of your pet. It also depends on the coverage and deductible you choose. Insurers say the same on their own sites. Embrace, for example, says its prices depend on your pet's age, breed and home address (checked October 29, 2026).

Some of these you cannot change. Others are choices you make on the quote form:

• Deductible: the part of the bill you pay first, each year, before the plan pays. Embrace lets you choose from $100 to $1,000.
• Reimbursement share: the part of each bill the plan pays you back after the deductible. Embrace and ASPCA Pet Health Insurance both offer 70%, 80% or 90%.
• Yearly limit: the most the plan will pay in one policy year.

Embrace says a higher deductible or a lower payback share trims the monthly price. The reason: you agree to pay more of each bill yourself. Our guide to deductibles, reimbursement and limits goes deeper.

Here is example math with round numbers. It is not a real quote. Say your dog has a $2,000 covered vet bill. Your plan pays back 80%, so your share is 20%. Compare a $250 deductible with a $500 deductible.

With the higher deductible, you pay $200 more on this bill. In return, your monthly price is lower. So ask the insurer one question: how much less per year is the $500 deductible? If the yearly savings come close to that gap, the higher deductible may pay off in years without a big claim. If the savings are small, the lower deductible keeps more money in your pocket when you do claim.

This math works the same way on every plan that pays a share after a yearly deductible. ASPCA Pet Health Insurance shows the same steps on its own site: deductible first, then your share of what is left.

Many plans cost more as your pet ages. Embrace says its premiums are based on your pet's current age and may go up due to age at renewal. ASPCA Pet Health Insurance says its prices may go up or down based on your pet's age, species and breed (both checked October 29, 2026).

Average prices across the market have gone up too. NAPHIA's data shows the average dog accident and illness plan went from $749 in 2024 to $836 in 2025. NAPHIA reports that as a rise of 11.5%. For cats it went from $386 to $435, which NAPHIA reports as a rise of 12.6%.

Two things follow from this:

• Starting young often means a lower first price. See pet insurance for puppies and kittens.
• For an older pet, ask how the price changes at each birthday. See senior pet insurance.

If the price climbs later, some insurers let you lower it. Embrace, for example, says you can change your deductible or payback share later, and that lowering coverage lowers your premium. Raising coverage later is harder: Embrace reviews the pet again, new waiting periods apply, and past problems may count as pre-existing conditions.

Averages are a start. Your real number comes from quotes for your pet. Before you compare them, set every quote to the same deductible, payback share and yearly limit. Otherwise you are comparing two different products.

Our page on pet insurance quotes lists what to have ready and gives a worksheet. If price is the main worry, see cheap pet insurance for honest ways to pay less. And if money is tight right now, help paying vet bills on a low income covers other options.