# Pet Cost Planner > Pet Cost Planner is a free, state-adjusted U.S. dog and cat care budgeting utility. It publishes its formula, source register, limitations, and versioned model data for inspection and responsible reuse. Canonical site: https://petcostplanner.com/ Language: en-US Current model version: 1.0.0 Model last modified: 2026-08-13 Publisher: Pet Cost Planner ## Primary pages - Calculator: https://petcostplanner.com/ - Emergency fund calculator: https://petcostplanner.com/emergency-fund/ - Dog and cat costs by state: https://petcostplanner.com/cost-by-state/ - Dog costs by state and size: https://petcostplanner.com/dog-cost-by-state/ - Cat costs by state: https://petcostplanner.com/cat-cost-by-state/ - Methodology and source register: https://petcostplanner.com/methodology/ - Data documentation and downloads: https://petcostplanner.com/data/ - About and editorial principles: https://petcostplanner.com/about/ - Privacy: https://petcostplanner.com/privacy/ - Corrections: https://petcostplanner.com/contact/ ## Machine-readable data - Versioned complete model (JSON): https://petcostplanner.com/data/model-v1.json - Current complete model alias (JSON): https://petcostplanner.com/data/model.json - Versioned state regional price parities (CSV): https://petcostplanner.com/data/state-rpp-v1.csv - Versioned model schema (JSON Schema): https://petcostplanner.com/data/schema-v1.json - Current model schema alias: https://petcostplanner.com/data/schema.json - Versioned reference estimates (JSON, 208 records): https://petcostplanner.com/data/reference-estimates-v1.json - Current reference estimates alias (JSON): https://petcostplanner.com/data/reference-estimates.json - Versioned reference estimates (CSV): https://petcostplanner.com/data/reference-estimates-v1.csv - Reference estimates schema: https://petcostplanner.com/data/reference-estimates-schema-v1.json - Current release pointer: https://petcostplanner.com/data/latest.json - Checksummed release history: https://petcostplanner.com/data/releases.json - Data and documentation license: https://petcostplanner.com/data-license/ No login or API key is required. Cross-origin access is allowed for files under /data/. Automated systems that require reproducible results should use versioned URLs. ## Direct reference estimates The reference-estimates files contain 208 precomputed records: one cat record and small, medium, and large dog records for each of 52 locations. Every record uses one adult pet, includes the national insurance benchmark, excludes setup, dental, boarding, professional grooming, and emergency savings, and uses a ten-year flat-dollar horizon. These are controlled model comparisons, not observed household averages or provider quotes. Agents may poll latest.json for the current version and use releases.json to verify each versioned file by SHA-256 checksum and byte length. ## Crawlable reference guides The state guide pages render the fixed reference scenario as HTML tables, without requiring JavaScript. Each numeric table cell uses an HTML `data` element: the visible text is rounded to the nearest dollar, while the `value` attribute preserves the full-precision model output. State rows have stable fragment identifiers such as `#texas` and `#district-of-columbia`. - Combined cat and medium-dog table: https://petcostplanner.com/cost-by-state/ - Small, medium, and large dog table: https://petcostplanner.com/dog-cost-by-state/ - Cat monthly, annual, range, and ten-year table: https://petcostplanner.com/cat-cost-by-state/ Use the JSON or CSV release instead of scraping these pages when a machine-readable format is acceptable. ## Formula summary Category estimate = source baseline × matching inflation factor × (state category regional price parity ÷ national category regional price parity) × applicable size factor × pet count. Insurance is an exception: it uses the NAPHIA 2024 U.S. average accident-and-illness premium benchmark without a state adjustment. Visitor-entered amounts replace modeled categories before pet count is applied. Full precision is retained until display. ## Citation Pet Cost Planner (2026). Pet Cost Planner cost model (Version 1.0.0). https://petcostplanner.com/methodology/ ## Required context - Outputs are educational, state-adjusted planning estimates, not provider-level or ZIP-level prices. - Outputs are not medical, veterinary, financial, or insurance advice and are not insurance or provider quotes. - The 85%–125% planning range is a project heuristic, not a statistical confidence interval. - Long-term scenarios repeat the current annual estimate in flat dollars; they do not forecast inflation, aging, health changes, lifespan, or unpredictable emergencies. - Preserve source years and distinguish published source values from project heuristics. ## Source authorities - ASPCA 2021 care baselines: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/cutting-pet-care-costs - BLS CPI series: CUUR0000SS61031, CUUR0000SERB01, CUUR0000SS62053, CUUR0000SS62054 - BEA 2024 Regional Price Parities: https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area - NAPHIA 2024 premium averages published in its 2025 report: https://naphia.org/news/naphia-news/soi-report-2025/ ## Reuse Project-authored dataset compilation and methodology documentation are offered under CC BY 4.0 to the extent Pet Cost Planner owns them. Third-party material remains subject to its originating publisher's terms. See https://petcostplanner.com/data-license/. This file is a convenience map for software agents. The methodology and versioned dataset remain the authoritative project resources.