How much does a puppy or kitten cost?
Sources checked
The short answer
More than half of people who paid for a pure-bred or designer dog paid $1,000 or more. For a mixed breed, about a quarter did. Cats cost much less: nearly half the cats people got in the two years to March 2025 cost nothing. That’s from Animal Medicines Australia’s 2025 survey (PDF, 14.4 MB) of more than 2,000 Australian adults.
| Dog type | Paid $1,000 or more |
|---|---|
| Pure-bred | 56% |
| Designer | 55% |
| Mixed breed | 27% |
Share of owners who paid for their dog. Covers dogs owned in 2025, some bought years ago.
Among people who paid for a pet they got in the two years to March 2025, dog owners paid more than three times what cat owners paid.
These are what owners paid, not today’s asking prices.
Pet Sales Australia doesn’t have its own price figures yet. Listings open soon, and a breed’s page will show a range once enough sellers have asked a price. See how our price ranges will work.
Then budget for running costs. In the same survey, dog-owning households spent an estimated $2,520 on their dogs in the year to March 2025, and cat-owning households about $1,656. That’s across dogs and cats of all ages, so in the first year add the one-off costs the price doesn’t cover (first-year costs).
A price far below others for the same breed is a common scam sign. See why a cheap puppy can be a warning sign.
What’s behind a puppy’s price
Two puppies of the same breed can be priced far apart. Here’s what to ask. Look for a good breeder, not just a good price (where to buy a puppy).
- Breed and type. In the survey, pure-bred and designer dogs cost more than mixed breeds (see the table above).
- Health tests on the parents. The RSPCA’s Smart Puppy and Dog Buyer’s Guide (PDF) says a responsible breeder screens for disorders known in the breed and can show you the vet reports and test results. Ask to see them for both parents.
- Breed club registration. A “registered breeder” often means a member of a breed club that keeps a stud book. It can also mean someone registered as a breeder with their council, or with a state register such as South Australia’s Dogs and Cats Online. The RSPCA notes that being registered doesn’t by itself mean a breeder is responsible. Ask for the papers, and visit anyway.
- Vaccinations, desexing and a vet check. What’s included varies. In Animal Medicines Australia’s survey (PDF, 14.4 MB), of dogs bought in the two years to March 2025, 77% had a vaccination included in the price, but only 33% came desexed. Anything not included becomes your cost later. A microchip isn’t an extra: in several states the law requires one before a dog or cat is sold or given away, and every dog and cat listed here must be chipped before it goes home.
- Who’s selling. A rescue charges an adoption fee, not a price. Ask any seller what the price covers.
Breed pages: Cavoodle · Maltipoo · All dogs · Puppies for sale.
Kitten prices
From Animal Medicines Australia’s 2025 survey (PDF, 14.4 MB):
- Nearly half the cats people got in the two years to March 2025 cost nothing. Among people who paid, dog owners paid more than three times what cat owners paid.
- Far fewer cats came from breeders: 13% of cats, against 42% of dogs. Most cats came from somewhere other than a breeder or pet shop, such as a shelter, as a stray, or from family and friends.
- Cats were more likely to come desexed: 63% of cats bought in those two years, against 33% of dogs. That lowers the first-year bill.
Tabby or tortoiseshell? On Pet Sales Australia these are colours, not breeds. A tabby kitten is listed under its breed, such as Domestic Shorthair, and priced with that breed.
The cheapest cat breed? We don’t name one. If cost matters most, look at adoption. On 10 Oct 2026, RSPCA NSW’s fee for a kitten under 6 months was $270, and RSPCA Victoria’s guide gave $235 to $400 for a kitten under 5 months, with desexing, microchipping and vaccination included. See adoption fees.
First-year costs
The price is only the start. In Animal Medicines Australia’s 2025 survey (PDF, 14.4 MB), for the 12 months to March 2025:
- Dog-owning households spent an estimated $2,520 on their dogs. Food was the biggest part, at $1,090.
- Cat-owning households spent about $1,656 on their cats, including $884 on food.
These are per household (some have more than one pet), cover pets of all ages, and include owners who spent nothing on some items, so your bill can be higher.
What to budget for, including the one-off costs of a new puppy or kitten:
- Vaccinations. The RSPCA says puppies need core vaccinations against distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus, and kittens against cat flu and feline panleukopaenia (Smart Kitten and Cat Buyer’s Guide (PDF)). Ask the seller which have been given, and ask your vet what’s still needed and what it costs.
- Microchip. Every dog and cat listed on Pet Sales Australia must be chipped before it goes home. Look it up at Pet Address before you pay (it may miss chips on NSW and SA registries). Ask the seller how the microchip record moves into your name.
- Desexing. Only a third of dogs bought in the two years to March 2025 came desexed, against nearly two-thirds of cats. Ask your vet for a desexing quote.
- Council registration. In NSW (fees from 1 July 2026), it’s a one-off fee: $84 for a dog or $74 for a cat. NSW adds $198 for a dog not desexed by 6 months, and $104 a year for a cat not desexed by 4 months. A desexed dog or cat from an eligible pound, shelter or approved rehoming organisation registers free. In other states and territories, fees vary. Check with your council.
- Food. The biggest yearly cost in the survey (above).
- Vet care. Plan for check-ups and the unexpected. The RSPCA says to be ready to pay for emergency treatment. In the survey, 12% of pet-owning households needed help, such as a payment plan or a loan, to cover vet care in the past year.
- Breed-related care. The RSPCA notes that dogs with exaggerated features, such as flat faces, usually need specialised vet care, which can be expensive. Before you buy, its Smart Puppy and Dog Buyer’s Guide (PDF) suggests asking your vet about the breed’s known health problems and what treating them can cost.
- Pet insurance. Optional. Compare quotes, and what each policy leaves out, before you decide.
- Everything else. Bedding, a lead and collar, toys, grooming, training and care when you’re away.
Why a cheap puppy can be a warning sign
Looking for a cheap puppy? Take care. As Tasmania Police warned in 2020, if the price of a pedigree puppy looks too good to be true, it probably is. WA ScamNet warns that scammers count on people buying on impulse when they see a bargain.
A common pattern:
- A price far below the rest, often with photos copied from elsewhere.
- Text or WhatsApp only, never a phone or video call.
- Pressure to pay by bank transfer before you’ve met the puppy.
- Then more fees, for transport, crates or insurance. Never pay a seller for these.
- “Delivery can be arranged”, or a puppy offered before 8 weeks old. The RSPCA lists both as red flags.
A low price also tells you nothing about how a puppy was raised. Visit where it was raised, and meet the seller, the puppy and its mother in person before you pay anything, including a deposit. A video is a first look, not a visit. See how to avoid puppy farms.
Want to spend less?
- Adopt from a rescue group. See adoption fees.
- Consider a mixed breed. In Animal Medicines Australia’s survey (PDF, 14.4 MB), mixed-breed dogs were far less likely to cost $1,000 or more.
- Set a budget before you look, and include the first-year costs.
Adoption fees
Rescue groups set their own adoption fees. On Pet Sales Australia, a rescue’s listing shows its fee as “Adoption fee”, never as a sale price.
What RSPCA NSW and RSPCA Victoria listed on 10 Oct 2026:
| Animal | RSPCA NSW | RSPCA Victoria |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy | $620 (under 12 months) | $650 to $1,000 (under 6 months) |
| Dog | $500 (over 12 months) | $500 to $1,000 |
| Kitten | $270 (under 6 months) | $235 to $400 (under 5 months) |
| Cat | $220 (over 6 months) | $145 to $400 |
Both say the fee covers desexing, microchipping, vaccination and a health check. RSPCA Victoria’s fee depends on the animal. Fees change, so check the rescue’s own page.
Animals adopted from shelters are usually already vaccinated, microchipped and desexed (RSPCA), costs you’d otherwise pay yourself. Ask each rescue exactly what its fee includes.
You pay the rescue directly. Pet Sales Australia doesn’t hold or handle payments between buyers and sellers, and buyers and adopters pay nothing to use the site.
Looking for a breed? The RSPCA (PDF) notes that rescue groups sometimes have particular breeds, and some rescues focus on one breed.
Before a listing shows its seller as a rescue, we check the organisation has an active ABN in its own name, plus a charity registration with the ACNC. That check doesn’t show how well a rescue cares for its animals, or that the person listing works for it. Meet the animal at the rescue or foster home before you pay anything, including a fee or a deposit.
Deposits
Some sellers ask for a deposit to hold a puppy or kitten. It’s the seller’s choice, and you pay it to the seller directly. Pet Sales Australia doesn’t hold, check or protect deposits, and we can’t get one back for you.
Once listings open, on a listing here:
- A seller mustn’t ask for or take a deposit, or any other payment, until you’ve met them and the animal in person. That applies if you live in another state too. If a seller asks sooner, tell us.
- Only litters and single pets can carry deposit terms. Upcoming litters and stud listings can’t.
- The deposit can’t be more than the price.
- If the seller takes deposits, the listing says what happens if you change your mind: refundable, refundable less an amount the seller keeps, or not refundable, and until when. Changing your mind includes not collecting by the date you agreed in writing.
- If the sale falls through for any other reason, such as the seller can’t go ahead, or the animal is gone or isn’t as described, our Seller Terms require a full refund. We can’t make a seller refund, but tell us at info@petsales.net.au if one doesn’t keep to their terms. We may hold their listings while we look into it.
- If you buy from a business, the consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law also apply, and deposit terms can’t take them away. The NSW Government’s buying a pet page and Western Australia’s Consumer Protection both say the guarantees don’t cover a one-off sale by a private seller.
Before you pay a deposit:
- Agree the price, deposit, refund terms and handover in writing with the seller.
- Meet the seller, the puppy or kitten and its mother in person before you pay anything, including a deposit. A video is a first look. If you can’t visit yet, don’t pay to hold the animal.
- Pay only into an account in the seller’s checked name (the name from their ID check, shown once the seller replies), and only when your bank says the name matches. If we haven’t shown you a checked name, or your bank can’t check it, don’t pay by transfer. Pay in person, once you’ve met the seller and the animal. A matching name rules out one common trick. It doesn’t make a payment safe.
- Never pay a seller for transport, crates or insurance. Book any transport yourself.
- Never pay by gift card, cryptocurrency or a money transfer service.
More in deposits and scams. Paid and the seller has gone quiet? Call your bank straight away, then read what to do if you’ve paid a scammer.
How our price ranges will work
A breed page’s range will show where most asking prices here fall. Here’s how we’ll work it out, so you can judge the figure yourself:
- One asking price per listing, from listings live in the last 180 days. For a litter priced per puppy, it’s the middle price of those still available.
- Puppies and kittens from breeders and owners only. Older animals, rescue adoption fees, stud fees and upcoming litters never count.
- A range only with enough prices. At least 8 listings, from at least 3 different sellers.
- The extremes left out. We drop the highest and lowest tenth of prices, then widen the range out to a multiple of $50 at each end ($5 for an end under $500).
- Always dated. Each range says how many prices it uses, from how many sellers, and between which dates.
These are asking prices, not sale prices.
Selling a litter or rehoming a pet? Once listings open, these ranges will show what other sellers here ask for the same breed, to help you set your price. Free to list. A one-off $9.95 ID check before your first listing. You can’t ask for or take a deposit, or any other payment, until the buyer has met you and the animal in person. An upcoming litter can’t mention prices or deposits, and you can’t ask for or take any payment for it, until you change it to a litter listing. Join the list for when listings open · Rehome a pet
Whatever the price, the ad must show this
State law decides what a dog or cat ad must show, at any price. If a number is missing, ask why before you go further.
- VIC: the seller’s source number and each animal’s full microchip number, rehomers included.
- NSW: dogs: the microchip number (an unchipped puppy 8 weeks or younger may show its mother’s, labelled as hers), plus the breeder identification number (BIN). A rehoming organisation that doesn’t know the breeder gives its rehoming organisation number (RON) instead. No BIN is needed for dogs born before 1 Dec 2025, and no BIN or RON once a dog is 6 months old and that number is recorded against its microchip on the NSW Pet Registry. Cats: under the Act’s wording, cats in the custody of a council (including a council pound), RSPCA NSW, the Animal Welfare League NSW or the Cat Protection Society need a microchip number, BIN or RON. NSW Government guidance says every cat ad must show one. Every NSW dog and cat listed here shows a microchip number in full.
- QLD: dogs born on or after 26 May 2017: the dog’s supply number. That’s usually its breeder’s number. An owner who didn’t breed the dog may have an exemption number instead.
- SA: the seller’s name and phone, and each breeder’s name, phone and Dogs and Cats Online (DACO) ID if registered.
- WA: no number has to be shown at the moment.
- TAS: puppies under 12 months: the mother’s or the puppy’s microchip number or, if neither is chipped, the mother’s registration number and council.
- ACT: licensed breeders: their breeding licence number. Other sellers: the animal’s microchip number or their rehoming identifier (a state rehoming number, ABN or name). Listings here from sellers without a licence show the microchip number.
- NT: no ad number rule found.
From each state’s own laws and government pages, checked 8 to 10 Oct 2026. Not legal advice.
Dogs and cats listed here can’t go home before 8 weeks old, even if a vet says they can. That’s our rule in every state. We check the ready date against the date of birth the seller gives, not the animal’s real age. Several states and territories also set 8 weeks in law, including Tasmania (Animal Welfare (Dogs) Regulations 2026) for puppies (though Tasmanian law allows earlier on a vet’s advice).
A Victorian listing of dogs or cats (other than an upcoming litter) can’t go live until Victoria’s Pet Exchange Register says the seller’s source number is active. Dog listings then show a dated “Source Number Checked” stamp. Cat listings don’t show it yet. The stamp doesn’t show who holds the number, or anything about the animal, its microchip or its health.