Lowest monthly cost
Arm & Hammer Super Scoop
$0.35 per day · $10.65 per month
Best first stop if the goal is cutting the bill without giving up basic clumping.
Read budget reviewCost Guide
How Much Does Cat Litter Cost?
One cat costs $9.13 to $29.50 a month, or $110 to $354 a year. Frisco by Chewy is the cheapest litter we have tested at $9.13 a month, and Tuft + Paw is the priciest at $29.50. Every figure below comes from the bag price and the tested cost per day of 17 litters we bought and used.
Updated Sep 2, 2026
| Litter | 1 cat, per month | 2 cats, per month | 3 cats, per month | 1 cat, per year | 2 cats, per year | 3 cats, per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frisco by ChewyCHEAPEST | $9.13 | $18.25 | $27.37 | $109.50 | $219.00 | $328.50 |
| Feline Pine | $9.43 | $18.86 | $28.29 | $113.15 | $226.30 | $339.45 |
| Arm & Hammer Super Scoop | $10.65 | $21.29 | $31.94 | $127.75 | $255.50 | $383.25 |
| Purina Tidy Cats | $11.86 | $23.72 | $35.59 | $142.35 | $284.70 | $427.05 |
| Fresh Step Scented | $12.17 | $24.33 | $36.50 | $146.00 | $292.00 | $438.00 |
| Dr. Elsey's Ultra | $13.08 | $26.16 | $39.24 | $156.95 | $313.90 | $470.85 |
| Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal | $13.08 | $26.16 | $39.24 | $156.95 | $313.90 | $470.85 |
| Arm & Hammer HardBall | $14.30 | $28.59 | $42.89 | $171.55 | $343.10 | $514.65 |
| Ökocat Paper Pellet | $15.82 | $31.63 | $47.45 | $189.80 | $379.60 | $569.40 |
| Naturally Fresh Walnut | $16.43 | $32.85 | $49.28 | $197.10 | $394.20 | $591.30 |
| Boxiecat Premium | $16.73 | $33.46 | $50.19 | $200.75 | $401.50 | $602.25 |
| Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract | $17.03 | $34.07 | $51.10 | $204.40 | $408.80 | $613.20 |
| World's Best Cat Litter | $17.64 | $35.28 | $52.92 | $211.70 | $423.40 | $635.10 |
| Sustainably Yours | $19.16 | $38.32 | $57.49 | $229.95 | $459.90 | $689.85 |
| Catalyst Soft Wood | $21.90 | $43.80 | $65.70 | $262.80 | $525.60 | $788.40 |
| PrettyLitter | $24.33 | $48.67 | $73.00 | $292.00 | $584.00 | $876.00 |
| Tuft + Paw | $29.50 | $59.01 | $88.51 | $354.05 | $708.10 | $1062.15 |
Prices are US dollars. Monthly figures are a twelfth of the year, not thirty days, so the two columns always agree. Product names link to the full cost breakdown for that litter.
Share or cite this chart
Free to link to or quote with attribution. Pet stores, publications and other cat sites are welcome to reference these figures - please link back to the page below rather than reposting the table as your own.
- Figures cover 17 litters we bought and tested, priced from the bag and the measured cost per day.
- One cat, daily scooping. Multi-cat figures scale that same per-day cost by cat count.
- Monthly cost is a twelfth of the yearly figure, not thirty days, so monthly and yearly always agree.
- All prices in US dollars.
Suggested citation
"Cat litter cost per month and per year, by number of cats," ReviewCatLitter.com, updated Sep 2, 2026. https://reviewcatlitter.com/how-much-does-cat-litter-cost
ReviewCatLitter editorial team
Updated Sep 2, 2026
Cost data comes from the same catalog pricing and tested cost-per-day values used across all review and comparison pages on this site.
How much does cat litter cost per month?
$9.13 to $29.50 for one cat. The middle of our set is $15.82, which is the number to hold in your head when a shelf price surprises you.
Material moves it more than brand does. Clumping Clay averages $13.11 a month across the litters we tested; Silica Crystal averages $24.33. That gap is the real decision. Picking a cheaper bag inside the same material saves cents, and switching material saves dollars.
Clumping Clay
$13.11
average per month, 1 cat
Pine / Wood
$15.66
average per month, 1 cat
Natural / Plant-Based
$19.71
average per month, 1 cat
Silica Crystal
$24.33
average per month, 1 cat
How much does cat litter cost per year?
$109.50 to $354.05 for one cat. The spread between the cheapest and the priciest litter over a year is $244.55, which is more than most people expect from a decision they make in ten seconds in an aisle.
Moving from the priciest litter we tested to the middle of the set saves $164.25 a year for one cat. Moving to the cheapest saves $244.55, if the cheap bag holds up to daily scooping.
If you change the litter early because of the smell
The shelf price is only half of this. If a bag gets dumped early because the room smells, the monthly figure above stops matching what you actually spend, and the tempting fix is to move up a price tier.
There is a second option: leave the cheap bag alone and add activated carbon to it. Purrify is that additive, sold in bags on their own site. Their write-up on what a carbon additive does to a litter you already own explains the idea, and we say plainly that the same people own both sites.
How much does kitty litter cost?
Kitty litter is cat litter, so the answer does not change: $9.13 to $29.50 a month for one cat, $110 to $354 a year. What changes is the bag in front of you. Bag prices in our set run from $13.00 for Frisco by Chewy to $29.00 for Tuft + Paw, and the cheaper bag is not always the cheaper month. A bag that runs out in four weeks costs more than a dearer bag that lasts seven.
Cat litter cost per cat: two cats, three cats and up
Litter scales with cats almost exactly, because each cat fills the box at its own rate. What does not scale is patience. Two cats saturate a box faster than the arithmetic suggests, so a litter that clumps hard and holds smell earns its price back sooner in a multi-cat home than in a single-cat one.
| Cats | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cat | $9.13 to $29.50 | $109.50 to $354.05 |
| 2 cats | $18.25 to $59.01 | $219.00 to $708.10 |
| 3 cats | $27.37 to $88.51 | $328.50 to $1062.15 |
Ranges run from Frisco by Chewy at the low end to Tuft + Paw at the high end. Yearly cost by household size breaks this down per litter.
What each bag costs, and what a day of it costs
The shelf price is the number you see and the daily cost is the number you pay. They rank differently, which is the whole reason this table exists.
| Litter | Type | Bag | Bag price | Per pound | Per day | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frisco by Chewy | Budget Clumping Clay | 40 lbs | $13.00 | $0.33 | $0.30 | Read review |
| Feline Pine | Pine Pellet | 40 lbs | $19.99 | $0.50 | $0.31 | Read review |
| Arm & Hammer Super Scoop | Budget Clumping Clay | 40 lbs | $13.99 | $0.35 | $0.35 | Read review |
| Purina Tidy Cats | Budget Clumping Clay | 35 lbs | $15.49 | $0.44 | $0.39 | Read review |
| Fresh Step Scented | Scented Clumping Clay | 42 lbs | $18.99 | $0.45 | $0.40 | Read review |
| Dr. Elsey's Ultra | Clumping Clay | 40 lbs | $20.99 | $0.52 | $0.43 | Read review |
| Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal | Scented Clumping Clay | 38 lbs | $16.99 | $0.45 | $0.43 | Read review |
| Arm & Hammer HardBall | Fast-Clumping Clay | 38 lbs | $19.99 | $0.53 | $0.47 | Read review |
| Ökocat Paper Pellet | Paper Pellet | 20 lbs | $19.99 | $1.00 | $0.52 | Read review |
| Naturally Fresh Walnut | Walnut Shell | 26 lbs | $24.99 | $0.96 | $0.54 | Read review |
| Boxiecat Premium | Premium Clumping Clay | 40 lbs | $27.99 | $0.70 | $0.55 | Read review |
| Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract | Clumping Clay | 40 lbs | $26.99 | $0.67 | $0.56 | Read review |
| World's Best Cat Litter | Corn Litter | 28 lbs | $29.99 | $1.07 | $0.58 | Read review |
| Sustainably Yours | Natural Corn + Cassava | 26 lbs | $29.99 | $1.15 | $0.63 | Read review |
| Catalyst Soft Wood | Soft Wood / Pine | 18 lbs | $27.99 | $1.56 | $0.72 | Read review |
| PrettyLitter | Silica Crystal | 6 lbs | $24.00 | $4.00 | $0.80 | Read review |
| Tuft + Paw | Soy / Tofu | 9 lbs | $29.00 | $3.22 | $0.97 | Read review |
Cost per day is measured, not estimated from the bag: it is what one cat actually went through in our testing, with daily scooping.
Where to go next with the money
Two litters worth reading about once you have seen the monthly math.
Best value upgrade
Dr. Elsey's Ultra
$0.43 per day · $13.08 per month
Costs more than budget clay, but wins on low dust, hard clumps, and usable box life.
Read value reviewWork out your own monthly cat litter cost
Change the cat count and the litter to price your own household.
Cost Calculator
Number of cats
1
Estimated monthly range
$9 - $30/mo
for 1 cat
| Product | Type | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHEAPESTFrisco by Chewy | Budget Clumping Clay | $9.13 | $110 |
| Feline Pine | Pine Pellet | $9.43 | $113 |
| Arm & Hammer Super Scoop | Budget Clumping Clay | $10.65 | $128 |
| Purina Tidy Cats | Budget Clumping Clay | $11.86 | $142 |
| Fresh Step Scented | Scented Clumping Clay | $12.17 | $146 |
| Dr. Elsey's Ultra | Clumping Clay | $13.08 | $157 |
| Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal | Scented Clumping Clay | $13.08 | $157 |
| Arm & Hammer HardBall | Fast-Clumping Clay | $14.30 | $172 |
| Ökocat Paper Pellet | Paper Pellet | $15.82 | $190 |
| Naturally Fresh Walnut | Walnut Shell | $16.43 | $197 |
| Boxiecat Premium | Premium Clumping Clay | $16.73 | $201 |
| Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract | Clumping Clay | $17.03 | $204 |
| World's Best Cat Litter | Corn Litter | $17.64 | $212 |
| Sustainably Yours | Natural Corn + Cassava | $19.16 | $230 |
| Catalyst Soft Wood | Soft Wood / Pine | $21.90 | $263 |
| PrettyLitter | Silica Crystal | $24.33 | $292 |
| Tuft + Paw | Soy / Tofu | $29.50 | $354 |
USD estimates multiply the recorded one-cat daily cost by cat count. Monthly cost is annual cost divided by 12. Actual use varies; no measured scooping adjustment is available.
Cat litter cost questions
How much does cat litter cost per month?+
For one cat, $9.13 to $29.50 a month across the 17 litters we tested. Frisco by Chewy is the cheapest at $9.13. Tuft + Paw is the priciest at $29.50. The middle of the set sits at $15.82.
How much does cat litter cost per year?+
One cat costs $109.50 to $354.05 a year. Two cats double it, to $219.00 to $708.10. Three cats reach $328.50 to $1062.15.
What is the average cost of cat litter?+
The middle litter in our set costs $15.82 a month for one cat. We quote the middle rather than the average on purpose: two expensive specialty litters pull an average upward and make the typical bag look dearer than it is.
How much does kitty litter cost?+
Kitty litter and cat litter are the same thing, so the same figures hold: $9.13 to $29.50 a month for one cat, $110 to $354 a year. Bag prices in our set run from $13.00 to $29.00.
How long does a 40 lb bag of cat litter last?+
For one cat, between 4 weeks and 7 weeks in our testing. Frisco by Chewy was the shortest of the big bags at 4 weeks; Dr. Elsey's Ultra stretched to 7 weeks. The same two bags ran 2.8 weeks and 4.5 weeks in a multi-cat home.
Is cat litter expensive?+
Not next to the rest of a cat. The cheapest litter we tested costs $0.30 a day. Even the priciest is $0.97 a day. What makes litter feel expensive is waste: a bag that breaks apart on the scoop forces a full box change and you pay for the same month twice.
What is the cheapest cat litter that actually works?+
Frisco by Chewy, at $9.13 a month, is the cheapest litter in our set that still clumps well enough to scoop daily. Arm & Hammer Super Scoop is the next step up if you want a firmer clump for a little more.
Is expensive cat litter worth it?+
Only when it stops waste. Dr. Elsey's Ultra costs more per bag than budget clay, but low dust and hard clumps mean less litter leaves the box with every scoop. A premium bag that still needs a full change every three weeks is just a dearer bag.
Additive
Purrify - keep the cheap bag, add the odor control
A cheap litter your cat likes is worth keeping. Purrify is activated carbon you add to it, so smell is not the reason to trade up. It costs what it costs on their site, and we have not measured what it saves you.
Read our Purrify guide to what a carbon additive does to a litter you already own.
- Activated carbon, sold in bags
- 5.0 Google rating
- Stocked in 40+ pet stores across Canada
Keep reading