New Jersey’s Among Most Expensive States For Owning a Dog

If you are a dog owner, I am sure I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.

Having a dog gets expensive. My family loves Sheba and would do anything for her.

At age 13, that includes a pharmacy bill higher than the four of us combined and a prescription diet that puts us in the Gold Club on Chewy.com.

Our vet, Julie, at the Humane Society of Ocean City, has had Sheba on meds and special food for 3 or 4 years now, and, it's only because of her excellent care that Sheba has lived this long.

She's a good girl and we love her, but dog ownership ain't cheap.

From what I am reading, it's even more expensive in New Jersey than most other states.

Study Shows the Cost of Owning a Dog in New Jersey

According to MarketWatch from the Wall St. Journal, the cost of owning a dog in New Jersey over the life of the animal averages $32, 947.

That's about $5000 more than the national average when you compare cost data across 11 metrics — things like dog food and supplies, pet insurance, and boarding costs — to discover the true cost of owning a dog in every state.

New Jersey ranks in the top five most expensive states to own a dog.

In three states in the Northeast (New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey), the average lifetime cost of owning a Labrador retriever exceeds $32,900.

California: $35,452
New York: $34,248
Massachusetts: $33,318
New Jersey: $32,947
Washington: $32,894

According to MarketWatch, these are the five states where the average lifetime cost of owning a dog is lowest:

1. Oklahoma: $24,855
2. Mississippi: $25,104
3. Indiana: $25,479
4. Nebraska: $25,662
5. Louisiana: $25,760

See the MarketWatch study on the cost of owning a dog