How Much Does a Dog Sitter Cost? 2026 Prices, 21 Cities

Your city matters less than you'd guess. In 11 of the 17 big metro areas with enough sitters to tell, the typical overnight price is exactly $50. The job moves the bill far more: a second dog, a puppy, three visits a day instead of one sitter who stays.

These are the sitters' own prices on Sittsy in September 2026, from the rates 1,407 US sitters set for overnight care, 1,631 for drop-in visits, 1,610 for walks, 558 for boarding and 585 for day care. "Typical" means the median. "Most charge" is the middle half of sitters, with the cheapest and the priciest quarter left out. They're listed prices, not an average of past bookings.

What each kind of dog sitting costs

A drop-in visit covers food, water, a potty break and some play. A quote inside the "most charge" range is a normal price. Well above it? Ask what's included before you say no. Medication or extra walks can be fair reasons.

How much is a dog sitter in my city?

Each row counts the sitters who live within 25 miles (40 km) of that city's center, so the suburbs are in. Every sitter is counted once, in the nearest of the 25 cities where Sittsy has the most sitters. We only show a price where at least 15 sitters offer overnight care. Below that, one or two unusual prices can drag the middle figure a long way.

San Antonio, Portland, OR, Las Vegas and San Jose have 12 to 14 overnight sitters each, too few for a price. A 30-minute drop-in visit runs $20 to $25 in every one of these metro areas that has at least 15 sitters offering it. Walk prices by city are in how much a dog walker costs.

San Francisco is the one clearly pricier market. Only a quarter of its overnight sitters charge less than $75, and $75 is already the typical price in Austin, the next most expensive area. Austin's spread is wide, though ($44 to $100), so quotes there vary a lot. New York and Los Angeles run $10 a night above the national figure. One quirk of counting each sitter once: Phoenix and Tempe are less than 10 miles apart and split one metro area between them, and San Francisco and San Jose divide the Bay Area the same way. Read those figures together.

Dog sitter prices by state

Not near one of those cities? These are the 26 states where at least 15 sitters offer overnight care, counting every sitter in the state.

State figures run from $37.50 a night in Utah to $60 in New York, Washington State and South Carolina. A 30-minute drop-in visit is typically $20 to $25 in these states, less in Oklahoma ($19), Kentucky ($16.50) and Wisconsin ($15). Inside any one state, the spread between sitters is wider than the gap between states, so the sitter you pick matters more than where you live.

What changes the price: a second dog, a puppy, a longer visit

Sitters set their own prices for extras. These are the medians, each based on the 251 to 729 sitters who set that price:

At the medians, a second dog costs about half a first one. For overnight stays, visits and walks, a puppy runs about 20% more than an adult dog. An extra cat typically adds $20 a night to an overnight stay or boarding, and $8 to a visit.

A 60-minute visit is typically $37 and a 60-minute walk $30. For those we only counted sitters who typed in their own price. Everyone else gets an automatic 1.5 times their 30-minute rate.

Holidays and short notice are the two things this data can't price, because it has no separate figure for either. So ask whether the price changes for your dates, and ask early for Thanksgiving, Christmas and summer. Medication, or a dog who can't be left alone at all, changes the job too. Put it in your first message so the sitter can price it properly.

What a dog sitter costs for a weekend, a week or two weeks

A week with an overnight sitter comes to about $350 for one dog and $525 for two. For one dog, a weekend is $100 and two weeks $700. These are the four usual plans for a week with one dog, at the typical prices above:

Two visits a day come in under an overnight sitter, $40 against $50 a day. Add a third and visits cost more than someone who stays, and there's still nobody home at night. A puppy with an overnight sitter comes to about $420 for the week. Boarding and a sitter at home end up within $2.50 a night of each other, for one dog or two, so pick on what suits your dog rather than on price.

Dog sitter, boarding or day care: which costs less?

Sittsy sitters' own prices next to national kennel averages:

The kennel figures come from CareCredit's vet-reviewed boarding cost guide, updated March 2026. For one dog, a basic kennel usually costs less than a sitter at home. With two dogs the gap narrows: a sitter's second-dog price is typically $25, half the base rate, while a kennel may charge each dog in full, so ask. A sitter at home suits a dog who struggles with noise, other dogs or a new place. A kennel or a vet suits a very social dog, or one with medical needs. We compared the options in more detail in how much dog boarding costs.

Home at night and only need daytime help? Day care at a sitter's home is typically $35 a day. And for a night or two, a friend or neighbor who feeds your dog and lets them out may cost you nothing at all. If a friend helps, agree on what they'll do and what happens if they can't make it.

Do dog sitters charge by the hour or a flat rate?

On Sittsy, every sitter prices by the night, the day, the visit or the walk, never by the hour. A 30-minute visit has one flat price, typically $20. If you want an hour, the 254 sitters who set their own 60-minute price typically charge $37.

An overnight has no fixed number of hours either. The sitter sleeps at your home but may go out during the day. Agree on it before booking: when they'll be home in the evening, how long they can be out, and how many walks your dog gets. If your dog can't be left long, add a midday walk, typically $20.

Should you tip a dog sitter?

You don't have to. A sitter who sets their own price has already priced the job, and a tip is a thank-you on top. It fits best when the sitter handled something beyond the plan, like a vet trip or a dog who got sick. For a dog walker you use all year, the Emily Post Institute's holiday tipping guide suggests up to one week's pay or a gift at the end of the year, and it says plainly that its suggestions aren't rules.

What to ask before you hire a dog sitter

• Can we meet first, with my dog?
• Have you looked after a dog like mine: size, age, energy, any medication?
• What's the total for my dates, with all my pets?
• For an overnight: how long will you be out during the day, and how many walks will my dog get?
• For boarding: how many other dogs will be there, and where does mine sleep?
• What happens if my dog gets sick, and who covers if you can't come?
• How often will you send updates?

The short version

• An overnight sitter typically charges $50 a night. Anything from $30 to $75 is a normal price.
• A 30-minute drop-in visit or walk is typically $20.
• A second dog adds about $25 a night or $10 a visit, not a second full price.
• A week with a sitter who stays comes to about $350 for one dog and $525 for two.
• Most big metro areas sit at $50 to $60 a night. San Francisco ($90) and Austin ($75) are the exceptions.
• Two visits a day cost less than an overnight sitter. Three cost more.

To compare sitters and prices near you, see pet sitters across the US, drop-in visits across the US or dog boarding across the US.