The cheapest pet food in Australia
What comparing every major store by price per 100g actually reveals — and how to pay less for the same food.
Last updated August 2026 · by BowlToBowl
We compared live prices across Australia's major pet stores — Pet Circle, Petbarn, Petstock, Petso, Budget Pet Products — normalised to the true cost per 100g. The headline finding: the store you buy from matters more than most people think. The same pet food regularly costs 35-45% more at one retailer than another, for the identical bag or pack.
The same food, wildly different prices
These are real examples from August 2026, all recognizable brands stocked at multiple stores (prices change — see the live rankings for today's figures):
| Product | Cheapest | Dearest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Hawk Original Lamb & Rice Medium Breed Puppy (dry dog) | $40.99 | $58.99 | +44% |
| Hill's Science Diet Chicken Adult (dry cat) | $49.00 | $68.99 | +41% |
| Royal Canin Ageing 11+ Jelly pouches (wet cat) | $33.99 | $47.82 | +41% |
| Royal Canin Labrador Puppy 12kg (dry dog) | $139.99 | $189.99 | +36% |
A 41% gap on a bag of Hill's Science Diet is $20 out of pocket every time you shop — for the exact same product.
Why "cheapest" means price per 100g, not per pack
The single biggest mistake is comparing sticker prices. A small bag looks cheaper on the shelf but is often far dearer per feed than the big one. Normalising every product to its cost per 100g (or 100ml) is the only fair way to compare a 2kg bag against a 15kg one, or single cans against a multipack. Do that, and the "cheap" option is frequently the expensive one.
What pet food typically costs per 100g in Australia
Across the catalogue as of August 2026, the typical (median) unit prices were:
| Dry dog food | $1.37 / 100g (median) |
| Dry cat food | $1.92 / 100g (median) |
| Wet cat food | $2.59 / 100g (median) |
The cheapest options in each category run well below these medians — see the live, continuously-updated rankings linked above.
How to actually pay less
- Compare per 100g, across stores, before every shop. The same food swings 35-45% between retailers — a two-minute check is the biggest saving here.
- Buy the big bags and multipacks. They're almost always cheaper per feed than small packs of the identical food.
- Pick 2-3 foods your pet does well on and buy whichever is cheapest that week — you get the savings without constantly switching (and upsetting) their stomach.
- Check the auto-delivery / subscription price. It's sometimes the genuinely cheapest tier, and you can usually cancel after the first order.
Methodology & independence
Figures are drawn from live prices across Pet Circle, Petbarn, Petstock, Petso, Budget Pet Products, normalised to cost per 100g/ml, as of August 2026. Extreme catalogue outliers (mis-listed pack sizes) were excluded. Prices are indicative and change frequently — always confirm at checkout. BowlToBowl is independent: not owned by, affiliated with, or sponsored by any store, takes no affiliate commission, and ranks purely on price.
See today's cheapest, ranked live
Continuously updated rankings of the cheapest pet food in each category, per 100g.
Browse the cheapest by category