Average Cost of Dog Insurance: Monthly Prices by Age and Breed

What is the average cost of dog insurance?

An accident-and-illness dog policy averages about $70 a month, or $836 a year, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) 2025 figures reported by NerdWallet. That is the average premium owners actually paid across all ages, breeds and plan choices in the US.

Plan type	Average per year	Average per month
Accident-only	$190	$16
Accident and illness	$836	$70
Accident, illness and wellness	$1,414	$118

NAPHIA’s own release for the year before put the 2024 US dog average at $749.29 a year, or $62.44 a month. So the average rose about 12% in a single year. Dogs make up most of the market: 75.6% of insured US pets in 2024. Dog cover costs roughly twice as much as cat cover, which you can compare in our cat insurance cost guide.

What do rate studies say dog insurance costs per month?

Studies that pull fresh quotes for a set plan land lower than NAPHIA, at roughly $43 to $56 a month for limited cover. NAPHIA averages what owners pay, including older dogs and low-deductible plans, while rate studies price one standard plan.

Source	Average dog price	Plan quoted
NAPHIA 2025 (via NerdWallet)	$70 a month	Average of all accident-and-illness policies
Forbes Advisor	$56 a month	$5,000 annual limit, $250 deductible, 80% reimbursement
Forbes Advisor	$87 a month	Unlimited annual limit, $250 deductible, 80%
Insurify	$43 a month	Mix of deductibles, rates and limits from 250,000+ quotes

Forbes Advisor analyzed 478,670 rates across 21 policies, and Insurify’s figures were updated May 31, 2026. Insurer figures fall in the same band: Lemonade says its dog customers pay around $48 a month. Treat any single average as a starting point, since the same dog can be quoted very different prices by different insurers.

How much does dog insurance cost by age?

Prices stay flat from puppyhood to about age 4, then climb steeply. Forbes Advisor’s age data, with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement:

Dog’s age	$5,000 annual limit	Unlimited limit
3 months	$43	$64
3 years	$41	$64
5 years	$52	$82
7 years	$74	$114

Insurify’s quote averages tell the same story: $40 a month for puppies under 12 months, $46 for adults aged 1 to 7, and $116 for dogs over 7.

The rise keeps going into old age. NerdWallet priced one medium mixed-breed dog in Katy, Texas, with Pets Best at a $5,000 limit, $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement:

Age	3 months	2 years	4 years	6 years	8 years	10 years	12 years
Monthly	$35.11	$31.50	$33.61	$48.34	$70.99	$114.10	$156.59

That 12-year-old pays nearly five times what the same dog paid at 4. Our senior dogs guide covers how to handle those later years, and Texas pet insurance shows how state rules apply there.

Does breed size change the cost of dog insurance?

Yes. Bigger dogs and breeds with known health problems cost more. Forbes Advisor’s figures for mixed breeds show the size effect on its own, all at age 3 with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement:

Mixed breed size	$5,000 annual limit	Unlimited limit
Small	$32	$53
Medium	$50	$56
Large	$50	$70

Breed matters even more than size. In the same Forbes Advisor table, these named breeds at age 3 ranged widely:

Breed	$5,000 limit	Unlimited
Dachshund	$35	$42
Beagle	$46	$62
German shepherd	$51	$70
Labrador retriever	$56	$76
Golden retriever	$56	$78
Bulldog	$78	$101
French bulldog	$85	$112
Rottweiler	$88	$107

Flat-faced breeds like the French bulldog and bulldog cost more than twice a Dachshund. Insurify’s quotes agree on the direction: a French bulldog averages $69 a month with a $5,000 limit and $134 unlimited, and a golden retriever $59 and $115.

What else moves the price of dog insurance?

After age and breed, your location and your plan settings make the biggest difference. Insurify’s state averages for dogs run from $32 to $66 a month, because vet care costs more in some places.

You control three dials. The deductible is what you pay each year before the insurer pays. The reimbursement rate is the share of each eligible bill the insurer returns, usually 70%, 80% or 90%. The annual limit is the most it pays in a year.

Choice	Cheaper premium	Pricier premium
Deductible	$500 to $1,000	$100
Reimbursement rate	70%	90%
Annual limit	$5,000	Unlimited

Forbes Advisor’s averages show the limit effect: $56 a month with a $5,000 limit against $87 with no limit. That is 55% more for the same dogs. Our deductible guide works through the deductible trade-off with real bills.

Two more items change what you get for the price. A wellness add-on pays set amounts for routine care; in NAPHIA’s data it lifts the yearly average from $836 to $1,414. Exam fees, the vet’s charge for a sick visit, are excluded by some insurers, such as Healthy Paws and Trupanion according to NerdWallet, and sold as an add-on by others, such as Embrace.

How do premiums change after you buy?

Expect your premium to rise most years, even with no claims. Lemonade’s FAQ says premiums may increase at each renewal to cover the higher vet costs of an older pet, and NerdWallet’s age table shows the typical shape. Budget for the price at age 8 or 10, not just today’s quote.

What does a common dog claim cost compared with a year of premiums?

The receipt on this page prices a dog that swallowed a toy, using CareCredit’s national averages: emergency exam, blood work, X-rays, IV fluids, stomach blockage surgery and one night in hospital, totaling $3,703.

	No insurance	$250 deductible, 80% reimbursement
Insurer pays	$0	About $2,762
You pay on the bill	$3,703	About $941
A year at the $70 NAPHIA average	$0	$840
Your total for the year	$3,703	About $1,781

One claim like this covers more than three years of average premiums. If your dog stays healthy, you pay the premium and get nothing back, which is the trade our guide on whether pet insurance is worth it explores.

How to find your dog’s real price

Get quotes from at least three insurers with the same deductible, reimbursement rate and annual limit. Our pet insurance comparison guide explains how to line them up. Enroll while your dog is young and healthy, because anything a vet notes before coverage, or during the waiting period before cover starts, becomes a pre-existing condition and is excluded. See our puppy insurance guide for the timing.

Bottom line

The average cost of dog insurance is about $70 a month for accident-and-illness cover, per NAPHIA, while rate studies quote $43 to $56 for a standard plan on a younger dog. Large dogs and flat-faced breeds like French bulldogs and Rottweilers can cost $80 or more at age 3. Prices climb sharply after about age 6, and one NerdWallet example nearly quintupled between ages 4 and 12. Compare quotes with matching settings and budget for future renewals, not just the first month.