Pet Cost
Planner

Open, versioned model

Data built for inspection and reuse.

Researchers, publishers, developers, and software agents can download the same source values and heuristics used by the calculator—or use 208 precomputed comparison records. No login, API key, or browser automation is required.

Current model: version 1.0.0 · modified August 13, 2026

Stable downloads

Complete model

Baselines, inflation factors, all state price parities, heuristics, citations, scope, and limitations.

Download model-v1.json

State factors

A simple table containing 2024 goods and other-services regional price parities for every covered location.

Download state-rpp-v1.csv

The unversioned aliases model.json and schema.json always point to the current release. Automated systems that need reproducible results should use the versioned URLs.

What the 208 reference estimates mean

Each record uses the same controlled comparison: one adult pet, insurance benchmark included, no setup, dental, boarding, professional grooming, or emergency-savings contribution, and a ten-year flat-dollar horizon. Cats have one record per location. Dogs have small, medium, and large records per location.

These are convenient model outputs—not observed household averages or provider quotes. Use the calculator for a different scenario, and preserve the scenario definition when quoting or comparing these records.

For a human-readable view of the same records, use the dog and cat state comparison, dog size comparison, or cat cost table.

How to use the model responsibly

  1. Read the dataset metadata and full methodology before calculating or summarizing an estimate.
  2. Preserve source years, units, full numerical precision, and the distinction between published values and project heuristics.
  3. Describe outputs as state-adjusted planning estimates—not local provider prices, medical advice, insurance quotes, or lifetime forecasts.
  4. Link to the methodology and identify model version 1.0.0 when publishing a result.

Cross-origin access is permitted for the files in this directory, so client-side research tools may fetch them directly.

Core data dictionary

Field groupUnit or meaningPrimary source
careBaselines2021Annual U.S. dollars per pet, before adjustmentsASPCA 2021 table
inflationFactors2026 H1 CPI mean divided by 2021 CPI meanBLS series listed per factor
stateRegionalPriceParities2024 index where the national price level is approximately 100BEA
insuranceBenchmarks2024Annual U.S. accident-and-illness premium averageNAPHIA
heuristicsDisclosed product assumptions, not scientific findingsPet Cost Planner
reference-estimates-v1208 precomputed model outputs for a fixed comparison scenarioGenerated from model 1.0.0

Detecting model updates

Poll latest.json for the current version and modified date. Use releases.json to read the version history and compare each versioned file’s SHA-256 checksum and byte length.

A changed checksum means the file contents changed. Versioned URLs are the reproducible record; unversioned aliases are convenience pointers to the current release.

Suggested citation

Pet Cost Planner (2026). Pet Cost Planner cost model (Version 1.0.0). https://petcostplanner.com/methodology/

Reuse is governed by the data and documentation license. Third-party source material remains subject to the originating publisher’s terms.

Important limitations

This dataset does not contain provider-level or ZIP-level prices. It cannot determine medically necessary care, breed-specific risk, future inflation, lifespan, or the cost of an unpredictable illness or injury. The 85%–125% planning range is a project heuristic, not a confidence interval.

For a concise machine-oriented site map, read llms.txt. For changes and source dates, read the update register.