Dog food cost per day UK (2026)
What named dog foods cost per day, week and month, worked out from UK retailer prices and each maker's feeding guide, by dog size.
The short answer
For a 20 kg adult dog, complete dry food costs about £0.57 to £1.54 a day, or £17 to £47 a month, from the 7 foods we priced on 21 October 2026. Feeding only wet food costs from about £5.23 a day. A 40 kg dog costs up to about twice as much as a 20 kg dog on the same food.
How much does dog food cost per day in the UK?
These are the complete foods in our dog food comparison for a 20 kg adult, cheapest first. Where the maker publishes only a weight band, or no 20 kg row, the cost is a range. The same foods at 10, 20 and 30 kg, with medians by food type and a CSV, are in our UK Dog Food Cost Index.
| Food | Per day | Per week | Per month | Per year | Price used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wainwright's Adult Chicken & Rice | £0.57–£0.98 | £3.99–£6.86 | £17–£30 | £208–£358 | £49.99 for 15 kg (Pets at Home) |
| James Wellbeloved Adult Hypoallergenic Turkey & Rice | £0.72–£1.15 | £5.04–£8.05 | £22–£35 | £263–£420 | £52.49 for 15 kg (zooplus) |
| Arden Grange Sensitive | £0.79–£1.54 | £5.53–£10.78 | £24–£47 | £288–£562 | £64.99 for 12 kg (zooplus) |
| Harringtons Rich in Lamb & Rice | £0.83 | £5.81 | £25 | £303 | £34.62 for 15 kg (Harringtons) |
| Purina Pro Plan Medium Adult Sensitive Digestion | £0.94–£1.07 | £6.58–£7.49 | £29–£33 | £343–£391 | £48.99 for 14 kg (sold out at zooplus when checked) (zooplus) |
| Burns Original Chicken & Brown Rice | £1.01 | £7.07 | £31 | £369 | £43.49 for 12 kg (zooplus) |
| Hill's Science Plan Sensitive Stomach & Skin Adult Medium | £1.26 | £8.82 | £38 | £460 | £61.69 for 14 kg (zooplus) |
How much does it cost to feed a dog per month?
For a 20 kg dog on complete dry food, expect roughly £17 to £47 a month at single-bag prices. Buying bigger or on repeat order lowers that a little: zooplus's 2 × 12 kg Burns pack works out at £1.00 a day against £1.01, and Pets at Home's Easy Repeat price for Wainwright's (£44.99 for 15 kg) gives £0.51 to £0.88 a day against £0.57 to £0.98. Our zooplus review covers its repeat-order savings.
Hover over or tab to a bar to see its range and source.
Show as a table
| Food | From | To | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wainwright's Adult Chicken & Rice | £17/month | £30/month | £49.99 for 15 kg (Pets at Home), maker's feeding guide; cost per day × 365 ÷ 12. Checked 21 October 2026. |
| James Wellbeloved Adult Hypoallergenic Turkey & Rice | £22/month | £35/month | £52.49 for 15 kg (zooplus), maker's feeding guide; cost per day × 365 ÷ 12. Checked 21 October 2026. |
| Arden Grange Sensitive | £24/month | £47/month | £64.99 for 12 kg (zooplus), maker's feeding guide; cost per day × 365 ÷ 12. Checked 21 October 2026. |
| Harringtons Rich in Lamb & Rice | £25/month | £25/month | £34.62 for 15 kg (Harringtons), maker's feeding guide; cost per day × 365 ÷ 12. Checked 21 October 2026. |
| Purina Pro Plan Medium Adult Sensitive Digestion | £29/month | £33/month | £48.99 for 14 kg (sold out at zooplus when checked) (zooplus), maker's feeding guide; cost per day × 365 ÷ 12. Checked 21 October 2026. |
| Burns Original Chicken & Brown Rice | £31/month | £31/month | £43.49 for 12 kg (zooplus), maker's feeding guide; cost per day × 365 ÷ 12. Checked 21 October 2026. |
| Hill's Science Plan Sensitive Stomach & Skin Adult Medium | £38/month | £38/month | £61.69 for 14 kg (zooplus), maker's feeding guide; cost per day × 365 ÷ 12. Checked 21 October 2026. |
How much does it cost to feed a small, medium or large dog?
Food cost rises with weight. These four foods publish amounts for small and large dogs, so the cost below comes straight from each maker's guide and the same single-bag price. A 40 kg dog on Burns Original costs £2.03 a day (about £62 a month), against £0.51 for a 10 kg dog.
| Food | 10 kg dog | 30 kg dog | 40 kg dog | Maker's amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harringtons Rich in Lamb & Rice | £0.42/day (£13/month) | £0.83–£1.25/day (£25–£38/month) | £1.25/day (£38/month) | Bands: 180 g at 10 kg; 360–540 g for 20–40 kg; 540 g+ over 40 kg |
| Wainwright's Adult Chicken & Rice | £0.30–£0.57/day (£9–£17/month) | £0.98–£1.52/day (£30–£46/month) | £0.98–£1.52/day (£30–£46/month) | Bands: 90–170 g for 5–12 kg; 295–455 g for 25–45 kg |
| Burns Original Chicken & Brown Rice | £0.51/day (£16/month) | £1.52/day (£46/month) | £2.03/day (£62/month) | 14 g per kg for standard adults |
| Hill's Science Plan Sensitive Stomach & Skin | £0.75/day (£23/month) | £1.70/day (£52/month) | £2.12/day (£64/month) | 170 g at 10 kg, 385 g at 30 kg, 480 g at 40 kg |
Growing puppies eat more for their size: see our puppy food comparison and large-breed puppy food guide for costs by age. For a dog that needs to lose weight, our dog food for weight loss comparison works out light foods at the target weight.
What do fresh and subscription dog foods cost?
Fresh, raw and personalised brands publish only a “from” price for a sample dog, so these figures are not directly comparable with each other or with the tables above.
| Brand (food type) | From, per day | Per month | Which dog | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tails.com (personalised dry) | £0.62 | £19 | Lowest 'from' price; its 33 kg example dog (dry and wet food) is £2.27/day | tails.com homepage and pricing page, checked 21 October 2026, checked 21 October 2026 |
| Pure Pet Food (air-dried) | £0.89 | £27 | Small dog | Brand website, checked 21 October 2026 |
| Bella & Duke (raw) | £1.18 | £36 | 5–10 kg dog, aged 4 | Brand website; excludes offers, checked 21 October 2026 |
| Butternut Box (fresh cooked) | £2.34 | £71 | 12–15 kg dog, aged 2 | Brand website, checked 21 October 2026 |
Butternut Box's figure of £2.34 a day for a 12–15 kg dog is more than twice the cost of Burns Original dry for a heavier 20 kg dog. Compare offers, storage and cancellation terms in our dog food subscriptions comparison, and wet-food costs in our Lily's Kitchen review.
How do these costs compare with charity estimates?
Battersea puts food at £10 to £50 a month, assuming a £24 bag of 12 kg, within a typical total of around £1,800 to £2,000 a year to keep a dog. PDSA's minimum monthly cost of owning a dog, which includes food, insurance, flea and worm treatment and a yearly health check, is £69 for a small dog, £83 for a medium dog and £116 for a large dog (calculated in 2024). Our named-food figures sit inside Battersea's range for dry food; wet-only and fresh feeding sit above it. To add food to vet care, insurance and the rest, use our pet cost calculator or read the cost of owning a dog guide.
What changes the cost of feeding a dog?
Your dog's weight
On Burns Original, a 40 kg dog eats four times as much as a 10 kg dog, because Burns feeds by the kilo. Calorie-based guides rise more slowly with weight; our portion calculator shows both kcal and grams.
Food type
Dry food was the cheapest per day in every comparison we ran. Wet-only feeding costs from about £5.23 a day for a 20 kg dog, because wet food is mostly water.
Where in the band your dog sits
Several makers give a weight band rather than a single amount. Wainwright's 12–25 kg band runs from 170 g to 295 g, so the same food costs £0.57 or £0.98 a day depending on where your dog falls.
Veterinary diets
Prescribed diets cost more: about £2.02 to £2.24 a day for a 20 kg dog in our sensitive stomach comparison. Use them only on your vet's advice. If you also have a cat, our cat food cost guide uses the same method.
What changed in this update
- 21 October 2026: Rewritten from our re-checked prices: every per-day figure now comes from a named food's retailer price and the maker's feeding guide (the earlier rounded brand figures were not traceable and have been removed). Added per week, month and year, costs for 10, 30 and 40 kg dogs, fresh and subscription 'from' prices, and Battersea and PDSA estimates re-checked. MoneyHelper (blocked our check) and an unlinked RSPCA figure were removed.
What these prices do not include
- Treats and chews, which Battersea puts at £10 to £30 a month on top of food.
- Delivery charges: zooplus, Pets at Home and the brands set their own thresholds.
- Veterinary diets, which cost about £2.02 to £2.24 a day for a 20 kg dog in our sensitive stomach comparison.
How we worked out these figures
- Took the single-bag price and pack size for each food in our dog food comparison from zooplus UK, Pets at Home or the brand's shop, re-checked on 21 October 2026.
- Took the daily amount from each maker's feeding guide for the dog's weight; where the maker gives only a weight band, the cost is a range.
- Cost per day = price ÷ pack grams × daily grams. Per week = × 7; per month = × 365 ÷ 12; per year = × 365.
- Compared the results with Battersea's and PDSA's published estimates, quoted as published.
What we did not do: survey owners' spending or feed these foods ourselves. Larger bags, repeat orders and vouchers can be cheaper than the single-bag prices used here.
Your dog's real cost depends on its weight, activity and the food. Use these figures for planning, not as a quote.
Sources
- Wainwright's Adult Chicken & Rice (Pets at Home) · checked 21 October 2026
- James Wellbeloved Adult Hypoallergenic Turkey & Rice (zooplus) · checked 21 October 2026
- Arden Grange Sensitive (zooplus) · checked 21 October 2026
- Harringtons Rich in Lamb & Rice (Harringtons) · checked 21 October 2026
- Purina Pro Plan Medium Adult Sensitive Digestion (zooplus) · checked 21 October 2026
- Burns Original Chicken & Brown Rice (zooplus) · checked 21 October 2026
- Hill's Science Plan Sensitive Stomach & Skin Adult Medium (zooplus) · checked 21 October 2026
- Battersea: the cost of owning a dog · checked 21 October 2026
- PDSA: the cost of owning a dog (calculated 2024) · checked 21 October 2026
Questions
How much does dog food cost per day?
For a 20 kg adult dog, the complete dry foods we priced on 21 October 2026 cost £0.57 to £1.54 a day, depending on brand and where the dog falls in the maker's feeding band. Feeding only wet food costs much more: from about £5.23 a day for Lily's Kitchen tins.
How much does it cost to feed a dog per month?
About £17 to £47 a month for a 20 kg dog on complete dry food, using single-bag prices checked 21 October 2026 (cost per day × 365 ÷ 12). A 10 kg dog on Burns Original costs about £16 a month and a 40 kg dog about £62.
How much does it cost to feed a dog per week?
For a 20 kg dog on complete dry food, about £3.99 to £10.78 a week from the prices we checked on 21 October 2026. Feeding only wet food costs from about £36.61 a week.
How much does it cost to feed a large dog per month?
For a 40 kg dog, the makers' feeding guides we checked give about £38 a month on Harringtons and £62 on Burns Original, up to £64 on Hill's Science Plan Sensitive Stomach & Skin, at single-bag prices checked 21 October 2026.
What is the average cost of dog food in the UK?
There is no official UK average. Battersea estimates £10 to £50 a month for food (assuming a £24 bag of 12 kg), and PDSA's minimum monthly cost of owning a dog, which includes food, is £69 for a small dog, £83 for a medium dog and £116 for a large dog (2024 prices). Our own figures for named foods are in the tables above.