Dog Boarding Cost: What Kennels, Vets and Resorts Charge Per Night in 2026

The national dog boarding cost averages $46.36 a night in 2026, according to Goose's 2026 analysis of publicly listed facility prices. That is about $325 for a week and about $464 for ten nights. The figure is a floor, not a quote, because it reflects the cheapest listed rate for a small dog. This guide shows the price by facility type, city and trip length, then compares boarding with hiring a pet sitter.

Photo: Jordan Heinz / Pexels

Dog boarding cost at a glance

Goose compared the publicly listed, cheapest available rates for small dogs at boarding and daycare facilities across the country. The 2026 results set the baseline for what boarding costs before add-ons:

Measure	2026 price per night
National average	$46.36
National median	$45.00
Lowest listed rate	$6
Highest listed rate	$175
Highest state average (Washington, D.C.)	$70.50
Lowest state average (Mississippi)	$32.70

The survey excludes in-home providers, membership pricing and bundled packages. It also covers small dogs only, so a large dog usually pays more than the figures above.

Dog boarding rates by facility type

Dog boarding rates depend on what kind of facility keeps the dog. Care.com's August 2026 guide splits the market into three types and lists nightly and weekly prices for each:

Facility type	Per night	Per week
Traditional kennel	$40 to $60	$280 to $420
Veterinary boarding	$60 to $75	$420 to $525
Overnight dog daycare	$55 to $160	$385 to $630

A traditional kennel is the cheapest option. A veterinary clinic charges more, which likely reflects the medical staff on site, so it suits a sick or senior dog. Overnight daycare has the widest spread, from $55 to $160, so compare what each room includes.

Petful's July 2026 guide adds a luxury tier. It lists resorts and resort suites at $100 to $150 or more a night, and in-home private sitters at $45 to $85 a night. Petful cites no outside data for those figures, so use them as a planning range only.

How much does it cost to board a dog by state and city

How much does it cost to board a dog depends heavily on where you live. Goose found that Washington, D.C. averages $70.50 a night, which is 2.2 times the $32.70 average in Mississippi. California had the highest single basic boarding price at $175 a night, followed by New York at $135.

Local income explains most of the gap. Goose reports that state income accounted for 71% of the variation in boarding prices. Petful estimates that big coastal metros such as New York, San Francisco, Boston and Seattle run 30% to 60% higher than rural and suburban areas for the same service.

Variation inside a state also matters. New York had the widest spread of prices, with a standard deviation of $27.13, followed by California at $23.37. South Dakota had the tightest at $9.37. In a high-spread state, get three quotes before you book.

Dog kennel cost for a week or longer

Dog kennel cost scales with the number of nights, and a longer stay often earns a discount. This table multiplies the $46.36 national average by common trip lengths and sets it beside Care.com's kennel and veterinary ranges:

Trip length	At $46.36 a night	Traditional kennel	Veterinary boarding
3 nights	$139.08	$120 to $180	$180 to $225
7 nights	$324.52	$280 to $420	$420 to $525
10 nights	$463.60	$400 to $600	$600 to $750
14 nights	$649.04	$560 to $840	$840 to $1,050

The kennel and veterinary columns multiply Care.com's nightly ranges by the number of nights. Petful reports that stays of two weeks or longer often earn 10% to 25% off, so ask for a long-stay rate before you book. Ask the same question if you are pricing how much to kennel a dog for a week at a facility with a seven-night package.

Boarding vs a pet sitter: which costs less

Boarding one dog costs less than a pet sitter in most cases. Using Goose's boarding average and the Pet Sitters International (PSI) sitter averages from our dog sitting rates guide, seven nights for one dog compare like this:

Boarding saves $354.41 against seven overnight sitter stays, and $32.34 against two sitter visits a day. The gap narrows if your dog is large, because the Goose figure is for small dogs. It reverses for a house with several pets, because most facilities charge per dog while a sitter charges one household rate.

Care.com's source for the sitter side, Pam Nichols, DVM, cites a minimum of $100 a night for an overnight private sitter with one or two pets. That figure matches the PSI average of $96.99 closely. The break-even rule is simple: board a single healthy, sociable dog, and price a sitter for three or more pets or for a dog that does badly in kennels.

Boarding fees that raise the average price for dog boarding

The average price for dog boarding covers the room only. Goose and Care.com list six extras that appear on the final bill:

1. Peak-season surcharge. Goose found a peak surcharge at 7.3% of facilities that display prices. Of those, 95.5% charge per day at an average of $8.98, and 4.5% charge a flat $28.53 per reservation. Petful puts holiday overnights at $5 to $25 a night.
2. Exit bath. Goose reports an average $27.18, with a range of $8 to $110.
3. Food. Facility food costs $5.62 a day on average, per Goose. Bringing your own food usually avoids it.
4. Medication. Care.com lists $10 to $30 depending on whether the dose is oral or an injection. Petful gives $5 to $20 per night.
5. Early check-in and late check-out. Goose averages $16.44 for early check-in and $21.35 for late check-out.
6. Behavior surcharge. Care.com's veterinarian source says an aggressive or difficult dog "might be an extra $50 a day."

A seven-night stay with a holiday surcharge at the $8.98 average, an exit bath and medication at $20 adds about $110 to the $324.52 base. That is roughly a third on top of the base price, so budget extra when the trip includes them.

Cost of boarding a dog by size

The cost of boarding a dog rises with the dog's weight at facilities that price by size. Care.com cites one New York City facility, Paws Country Club, that charges by tier:

Dog size	Per night
Up to 49 pounds	$60
50 pounds and over	$70 to $75
100 pounds and over	$80 to $100

One facility is not a national rate, but the pattern is common. Giant breeds need larger runs and eat more, and some facilities cap how many big dogs they accept, according to Petful. If you own a Great Dane or Mastiff, start the budget from the top of your local range. Our breed directory shows how annual care costs scale with size.

Questions to ask a boarding facility before you book

A written quote prevents surprises at pickup. Ask these five questions at every kennel, vet clinic or resort you call:

1. Is the nightly rate for my dog's weight, or is it the small-dog rate?
2. Which fees apply to my dates, including any peak or holiday surcharge?
3. Is the second-dog discount per night, and does it apply if the dogs share a room?
4. Is food, medication and an exit bath included or billed separately?
5. Which vaccines do you require, and how far ahead must I send records?

Compare the answers in one sheet, because a $38 nightly rate with a $27 exit bath and a $9 daily surcharge can cost more than a flat $48 rate.

Boarding two dogs

Boarding two dogs costs less than double. Goose found that facilities giving a second-dog discount offer an average of 28% off, and 37.5% of facilities that list prices showed one. At the national average, the second dog costs about $33.38 a night, so two dogs cost $79.74 a night, or $558.17 for seven nights.

Care.com describes a smaller break at traditional kennels and vets: $4 to $10 off per animal sharing a room. For daycare, the second dog may be 50% off. Ask each facility which version applies, because the dollar difference over a week is $50 or more.

Why pet boarding cost keeps rising

Pet boarding cost rose again in 2026. Goose found that 42.1% of facilities raised prices since 2025, by an average of $7.02. The national average rose $2.72, or 6.4%. In addition, 15% of boarding prices disappeared from facility websites, which Goose suggests may reflect a move to booking engines or dynamic pricing.

For budgeting, that means last year's receipt is out of date. Add 6% to any price you paid in 2025 and expect holiday dates to cost more. For context on how other care costs have moved, see our 2026 vet cost squeeze analysis.

How to lower the bill without cutting care

These steps cut the boarding bill without cutting care:

1. Book outside peak dates. Avoid Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break, when surcharges apply.
2. Ask for a long-stay rate. Petful reports 10% to 25% off for stays of two weeks or more.
3. Bring food and skip the bath. That removes $5.62 a day and $27.18 per stay at Goose's averages.
4. Compare three facilities. Prices within one state vary by tens of dollars.
5. Check vaccine requirements early. Each facility sets its own list; see our dog and cat vaccine costs.
6. Meet the facility first. MetLife's 2025 survey found that 37% of Americans had changed or canceled travel plans because they could not find someone they trusted to watch their pet.

Budgeting boarding into your pet's yearly cost

Boarding is a recurring line for any household that travels. Two one-week trips a year cost about $650 at the national average and about $700 at the midpoint of a traditional kennel's $280 to $420 weekly range. That sits beside food, vet care and insurance in the annual total.

The pet cost calculator gives a breed-level yearly estimate you can add a boarding line to. The post on the monthly cost of owning a dog or cat covers the recurring bills that boarding sits next to. Request written quotes, confirm what the nightly rate includes, and log the final trip cost against the year.