Pet Boarding Cost Per Night in 2026: Dog & Cat Kennel Rates by Tier

Pet boarding costs $25 to $85 per night at a facility in 2026, with most owners paying $35 to $65 per night for standard kennel care. Dog boarding runs $30 to $50 per night at a traditional kennel and $75 to $95 per night at a luxury pet hotel. Cat boarding runs $20 to $35 per night at a shared cattery and $35 to $75 per night in an individual suite. Holiday weeks add 25% to 50% on top of these rates. Use our free Pet Boarding Service Cost Calculator to price your trip by pet type, facility tier, and length of stay.

I run our pets-cost research, and the number that surprises people most is the holiday spread. Last Thanksgiving I priced a 6-night kennel stay for a 60-pound Lab at a facility quoting $48 per night. With the holiday surcharge of 40%, the nightly rate jumped to $67.20, so the stay went from $288 to $403.20 before a single add-on. That $115 gap is the difference between booking in September and booking in November, and it is entirely avoidable.

The reason boarding ranges look so wide is that "pet boarding" covers a standard-kennel commodity at one end and a luxury suite with a webcam at the other. This guide breaks down the per-night rate by pet type and facility tier, shows the full-trip math for a week and a holiday stay, and lists every add-on fee that turns a $40 nightly quote into a $60 nightly bill. If you want in-home care instead of a facility, that is a different product — jump to our pet sitting cost guide for drop-in and overnight in-home rates.

Pet boarding cost per night at a glance

The table below is the fast answer. Each row is a facility tier with its 2026 per-night range and the pet it fits best. National-average dog boarding sits around $40 per night and national-average cat boarding around $30 per night, per HomeGuide 2026 data.

Dog boarding cost per night

Dog boarding is the largest and most standardized slice of the market. According to HomeGuide, traditional kennels charge $30 to $50 per night, with most owners spending about $40, while luxury dog hotels run $75 to $95 per night for suites, pools, webcams, and gourmet food.

Standard kennel ($30-$50 per night)

A standard kennel gives your dog an indoor run or kennel space, scheduled feeding with your food, water, potty breaks, and group or individual play time depending on the facility. This is the right default for a healthy, social adult dog on a short-to-medium trip. The math is straightforward: a 7-night stay at $40 per night costs $280. Add a daily 30-minute private play session at $12 and you reach $40 × 7 + $12 × 7 = $364 for the week.

Veterinary boarding ($45-$85 per night)

Veterinary boarding houses your dog at or beside a vet clinic with staff who can monitor medication and medical conditions. It runs $45 to $85 per night and is the correct tier for diabetic dogs needing insulin, seniors on a medication schedule, or dogs recovering from surgery. You pay a premium for clinical oversight rather than amenities. A 5-night stay at $65 per night is $325 base, plus twice-daily medication administration at $7 per dose: $325 + ($7 × 2 × 5) = $395.

Luxury dog hotel ($75-$95 per night)

Luxury boarding is the premium tier — private suites, supervised group play, swimming pools, webcam access, and upgraded bedding. At $85 per night, a 7-night stay is $595 before add-ons. These facilities justify the price with constant supervision and enrichment, which matters most for high-energy breeds and dogs with separation anxiety that struggle in a basic kennel run.

Cat boarding cost per night

Cat boarding is a narrower, quieter market than dog boarding, and the species difference matters. Per Catster's 2026 guide and HomeGuide cat data, basic catteries start at $20 to $35 per night, mid-range individual suites run $35 to $75, and luxury boutique cat hotels reach $50 to $120 per night.

Shared cattery ($20-$35 per night)

A shared cattery houses your cat in a small condo within a cat room, with daily feeding, litter cleaning, water, and limited interaction. It is the budget option and works for confident cats who eat reliably away from home on a 2-to-4-night trip. A 3-night cattery stay at $28 per night is $84.

Individual cat suite ($35-$75 per night)

An individual suite is a multi-level condo of 5 to 15 square feet with a private litter area, perches, a window, and one to two daily play sessions. This is the best fit for most cats and any cat on a trip of 5 or more nights. A 7-night suite at $55 per night is $385. Many facilities at this tier are cat-only, which removes the dog-stress variable entirely.

Luxury boutique cat hotel ($50-$120 per night)

Boutique cat hotels are cat-only, with 15-to-30-square-foot suites, large windows, cat TV, custom perches, two to three play sessions per day, and often webcam access. Rover data for Philadelphia puts boutique cat boarding around $47 per night in that metro, with coastal cities running $75 to $120. A 5-night boutique stay at $75 per night is $375 base; add a daily cuddle session at $15 and you reach $375 + ($15 × 5) = $450.

Cost by pet type and size

Dog boarding scales with weight because larger dogs eat more, need bigger kennels, and require more handling. Cat boarding is largely flat by size. The table below shows typical standard-kennel pricing by pet.

Two dogs from the same household can often share a kennel at a discount. If a single medium dog is $45 per night, a sibling sharing the same run is frequently $20 to $25 rather than another full $45 — so two dogs run roughly $65 to $70 per night combined instead of $90.

Full-trip cost: week vs. holiday

The per-night rate only tells half the story. The two numbers owners actually budget are the standard week and the holiday week. The table below works both, using a $45 per-night standard suite as the baseline and a 40% holiday surcharge in the middle of the published 25%-to-50% range from HomeGuide.

The holiday surcharge math is simple: $45 × 1.40 = $63 per night. Over a 7-night Thanksgiving stay, that turns a $315 trip into a $441 trip — a $126 holiday premium. Stretch it to two weeks over the December holidays and the premium grows to $882 − $630 = $252. Booking early at standard rates is the cleanest way to erase that number.

Add-on fees that change the per-night rate

Every published boarding rate covers the basics: the enclosure, your food fed on schedule, cleaning, water, and basic interaction. Everything else is an add-on. These are the common ones in 2026:

• Extra play or cuddle session: $10-$25 per session
• Medication administration: $5-$10 per dose (a twice-daily pill adds $10-$20 per night)
• Premium, prescription, or raw diet: $5-$15 per day
• Exit bath or grooming: $15-$45
• Exit nail trim: $15-$25
• Webcam access: included at luxury tier, $5-$15 per day at mid-tier
• After-hours pickup or drop-off: $15-$35 per instance
• Holiday surcharge: +25% to +50% per night

Stack a few of these and the effective nightly rate climbs fast. A $45 suite with twice-daily medication ($14), one daily play session ($12), and a special diet ($8) has an effective rate of $45 + $14 + $12 + $8 = $79 per night — 76% above the headline number. That is why the published rate is a starting point, not a quote.

How to use the pet boarding calculator

Pricing your specific trip takes about a minute. Open the Pet Boarding Service Cost Calculator and enter four things:

1. Pet type and facility tier — cat cattery, cat suite, luxury hotel, or the matching dog tier. This sets the base nightly rate.
2. Length of stay — the calculator applies multi-night discounts (commonly 5% to 15% at 7+ nights) where they exist.
3. Add-ons — playtime, medication, special diet. These stack on top of the nightly rate.
4. Holiday timing — toggle a holiday week to apply the 25%-to-50% surcharge.

The output is a low-to-high trip range so you can budget the realistic worst case, not just the advertised rate. For dog-only households, the dedicated Dog Boarding Service Cost Calculator breaks out kennel, luxury, and in-home tiers. To compare boarding against in-home care, run the Pet Sitting Service Cost Calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does pet boarding cost per night?

Pet boarding costs $25 to $85 per night in 2026, with most owners paying $35 to $65 per night for standard care. Dog boarding runs $30 to $50 per night at a kennel and $75 to $95 at a luxury hotel; cat boarding runs $20 to $35 at a shared cattery and $35 to $75 in an individual suite. The national average is about $40 per night for dogs and $30 per night for cats, per HomeGuide 2026 data. Holiday weeks add 25% to 50%. Estimate your exact trip with our Pet Boarding Service Cost Calculator.

How much does pet sitting cost per night?

In-home pet sitting costs $50 to $95 per overnight stay and $75 to $150 per 24-hour live-in day in 2026 — more than facility boarding because the sitter comes to your home. Boarding is generally 20% to 40% cheaper per night than overnight in-home sitting because the facility cares for many pets at once. For social dogs comfortable in groups, boarding is the better value; for anxious cats and exotics that do poorly leaving home, in-home sitting is worth the premium. See our full pet sitting cost guide for drop-in, overnight, and live-in rates.

What is the average pet sitting cost per night in the US?

The average overnight in-home pet sitting cost in the US is $50 to $95 per night in 2026, versus a $35 to $65 national average for per-night facility boarding. Rural and small-town rates sit at the low end ($40-$65 overnight sitting); West Coast and Northeast metros sit at the high end ($70-$125). The gap between the two products reflects what you are buying: boarding shares one staff across many pets, while a sitter is dedicated to your home. Compare both side by side in the Pet Sitting Service Cost Calculator.

How much does boarding cost by pet type?

Dog boarding runs $30 to $95 per night depending on tier and size, while cat boarding runs $20 to $120 per night depending on tier. Small dogs under 25 pounds board for $30 to $45 per night at a standard kennel; large dogs over 60 pounds run $45 to $70 because they need bigger runs and more handling. Cat pricing is flat by size — the facility tier, not the cat's weight, drives the cost. Exotic birds and reptiles need species-qualified facilities and run $25 to $75 per night.

How much more is luxury boarding vs. standard?

Luxury boarding costs roughly 1.5 to 2.5 times the standard rate: dogs jump from $30-$50 at a kennel to $75-$95 at a luxury hotel, and cats jump from $20-$35 at a cattery to $50-$120 at a boutique. For a 7-night dog stay, that is $280 standard ($40/night) versus $595 luxury ($85/night) — a $315 difference. The premium buys private suites, supervised play, webcams, and enrichment. It matters most for anxious or high-energy pets that struggle in a basic kennel run and matters least for a calm, social pet on a short trip.

How much is the holiday boarding surcharge?

Holiday boarding surcharges run 25% to 50% per night over Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, July 4, and spring break in 2026. On a $45 standard suite, a 40% surcharge raises the rate to $63 per night — a $126 premium on a 7-night stay ($441 vs. $315). Many facilities also impose a 5-to-7-night minimum during holiday weeks. Booking 6 to 8 weeks ahead locks the standard rate and secures a spot before facilities reach their waitlist.

Should I tip a boarding facility?

Tipping at a boarding facility is optional but appreciated, with $5 to $20 for the staff who cared for your pet being a common gesture on longer or holiday stays. Unlike in-home sitters, where a 10% to 20% tip is standard, kennels and pet hotels typically build labor into the nightly rate. A tip is most appropriate when staff handled medication, an illness, or a difficult pet, or for a long stay of 7 or more nights.

Related Articles

• How Much Does Pet Sitting Cost in 2026? — The in-home alternative to boarding: drop-in, overnight, and 24-hour live-in rates by service tier.
• How Much Does an Auto Paint Job Cost in 2026? — Another 2026 cost benchmark from our research series, with full per-tier pricing math.

Related Calculators

• Pet Boarding Service Cost Calculator — Price an overnight stay by pet type, facility tier, length, and add-ons.
• Dog Boarding Service Cost Calculator — Dog-only tiers: kennel, luxury hotel, and in-home sitter at $30-$150/night.
• Pet Sitting Service Cost Calculator — In-home drop-in and overnight visits, priced per visit instead of per night.
• Pet Insurance Quote Calculator — Monthly premiums to cover emergency vet costs during longer boarding stays.

Methodology

Per-night rates reflect 2026 published pricing aggregated from HomeGuide, Catster, Hepper, and Rover regional data across multiple metro markets. National averages of ~$40/night (dogs) and ~$30/night (cats) come from HomeGuide 2026. Holiday surcharge ranges (25%-50%) and add-on fees reflect facility fee schedules surveyed in 2026. All trip totals in this article are re-derived from the stated nightly rate and night count.

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Pet boarding rates vary significantly by location, facility, and pet needs. Always confirm vaccination requirements, ask for the complete add-on fee list before booking, and provide written care instructions including medication schedules and emergency veterinary contacts.