This Is The Most Affordable State To Own A Dog In 2026

Owning a dog can be seriously costly; a comprehensive MoneyGeek analysis revealed that they cost 38% more than cats to own, and the average American spends $3,091 a year on recurring dog costs like food, grooming, vet visits, boarding, and pet insurance. While estimates vary based on a lot of factors, sources consistently project that recurring dog ownership expenses get into the thousands on a yearly basis: MarketWatch pins it at about $2,524 a year, and Rover's 2025 cost report says annual care can range from $1,390 to $5,295 depending on the dog's age, size, health, and location.

According to MarketWatch, Oklahoma is the most affordable state to own a dog. Owners in the area spend an average of $24,855 throughout their dog's lifetime — over $3,000 less than the national average. MoneyGeek's analysis of shorter-term costs aligns with this finding: Oklahomans spend an average just $2,759 per dog. That's $332 less per year than the national average, and about $782 less than the annual cost in California — the most expensive state for dog owners.

Oklahomans enjoy lower-than-average costs across nearly every category: Vet visits in the state run below the national average, pet insurance comes in around $535 a year (compared to $634 nationally), boarding averages $36 a night, and food costs also sit among the lowest in the country at approximately $570 a year, according to PetsRadar. So, while Oklahoma might be among the worst states for retirees, pet owners of all ages may find these lowered expenses to be especially appealing.

If Oklahoma's not an option for you, MoneyGeek's annual cost ranking suggests North Dakota, Montana, Alabama, and Iowa are all similarly affordable for dog owners. Each of those states see dog-specific costs of around $2,800 a year — well below the national average of $3,091.

Notably, most of these places are among the U.S. states with the lowest cost of living — and that's unsurprising, as pet ownership costs tend to rise with the price of other commodities. Based on data from the Council for Community and Economic Research, the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center ranked Oklahoma No.1, Alabama No. 4, Iowa number No. 7, and North Dakota number No. 12 on its list of the most affordable states in 2025.

When factoring in earnings, though, the rankings change dramatically. MoneyGeek calculated pet ownership costs as a percentage of median household income and found that Utah is the most affordable state by that measure, with residents spending just 2.5% of their annual income on their pets. That beats Oklahoma, which sits at 3.8%, despite having the lowest sticker-price pet costs. The rest of the top five are New Hampshire and Maryland at 2.6%, followed by Massachusetts and Colorado at 2.7%. The most striking example of this gap is Massachusetts: While it ranks among the most expensive states to live in and to raise a pet, Massachusetts' relatively high median household income of $113,900 makes pet ownership proportionally less of an expense for its residents compared to the costs in states with lower-earning populations.