Pet insurance statistics
Ever wondered how much Aussies are willing to spend on their furry friends? Will Gen Z dish out more than Baby Boomers? We’ve got that info plus way more.
For many Australians, having a pet as part of your family is the norm. In fact, around 73% of Australian households have a pet with the majority owning dogs over cats.
While pets are great companions, they're also a big responsibility and the associated expenses are no joke. Pet insurance can alleviate a lot of the major costs but not all Aussies can fit this in the budget.
Let's go over how much pet owners have dished out for their fur babies.
Key takeaways
- NSW is the most expensive state for pet insurance, with the average monthly cost being $142 relative to South Australia with a monthly cost of $102.
- Gen Y pay the most for pet insurance with an average of $176 per month.
- The average cost of pet insurance is around $1,716 per year.
According to a survey conducted by Finder in March 2026, Australians are spending an average of $143 per month in pet insurance. Interestingly, this varies significantly by gender, generation and state.
Women spent around $133 per month, while men spent $152. That's a difference of $19 each month in vet bills between women and men.
The amount each generation is spending at the vet varies hugely. Some may be unsurprised to learn that Gen Y are spending more than double what baby boomers spent at the vet.
Interestingly, the cost of vet bills varies massively by state. In fact, those in NSW are spending more than those in South Australia. Although, if you're in tune with the housing market or more generally, the cost of a cup of coffee, maybe this isn't that surprising.
How much does pet insurance cost?
Despite many pet owners' willingness to spend thousands on their pet, many still exclude pet insurance from their budget. Largely, this can come down to costs and feeling like the expense is 'worth it'.
Paradoxically, young pets require less visits to the vet for serious issues yet this is the best time to insure them as the younger they're insured, the cheaper the premium is. This is because older pets have more issues and therefore their owners are more likely to claim on their pet insurance policy.
We ran a series of quotes to understand the cost of pet insurance in March 2026, here's what we found.
Pricing varies hugely based on the type of pet you have - cat or dog - and the breed. Dogs with known issues, like dachshunds and their spines, are typically more expensive than other, less problematic breeds.
Below is an example of just how much pricing can change between insurers when trying to get pet insurance. These are the average costs across five different dog breeds and ages.
Compare other products
How we picked these
See more about our methodology for gathering these quotes.
More resources on Finder
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