How much does a Chi cost?

A Chi costs $620–$2,300 in its first year across the 52 US cities we have costed, then $38–$160 a month. The purchase price sits on top of that and varies far more, because it depends on the breeder, the paperwork behind the litter and whether you buy or adopt.

Every number here is a planning estimate built from breed data and local cost-of-living and veterinary indices, not a quote from a vet or an insurer. How we build them and who writes them.

Chi puppy price

We have not verified a current purchase price for the Chi, so this page publishes none rather than a guess. What we can tell you is what happens next: the first year of owning a Chi runs $620–$2,300 depending on the city, and that number is the one that decides whether the dog is affordable. A purchase price is paid once. The rest is paid every month for 12–20 years.

Purchase prices move on things that have nothing to do with the dog you take home. A litter from parents screened for the conditions Chis are known for — Collapsing Trachea, Heart Disease, Patellar Luxation — costs the breeder money before a single puppy is sold, and that shows up in the price. Waiting lists, coat colours that are in fashion this year, and transport from another state push it further. A cheap listing with no health paperwork is usually the most expensive option in the end, because the screening you skipped becomes a vet bill you pay.

Weigh the purchase against the total. Over 12–20 years, the money you spend feeding, insuring and treating a Chi dwarfs whatever you paid to bring one home, so a few hundred dollars of difference at the start matters much less than the monthly figure further down this page.

Chi first-year cost by city

The first year with a Chi costs $620–$2,300 depending on where you live. Year one is the expensive one: the vaccination course, neutering or spaying, microchipping, a crate, a bed, a lead and the first round of preventatives all land inside twelve months and never repeat.

Jackson is the cheapest city on this list for a Chi and San Francisco the most expensive, a spread driven almost entirely by local veterinary rates and what a groomer charges — the dog is identical.

Chi first-year and monthly cost by city
City	First year	Monthly
Chi cost in Albuquerque	$720–$1,350	$45–$90
Chi cost in Anchorage	$1,000–$1,850	$65–$130
Chi cost in Atlanta	$780–$1,450	$50–$98
Chi cost in Austin	$820–$1,500	$52–$102
Chi cost in Baltimore	$780–$1,430	$50–$96
Chi cost in Billings	$700–$1,300	$44–$88
Chi cost in Birmingham	$650–$1,220	$40–$80
Chi cost in Boise	$730–$1,340	$46–$90
Chi cost in Boston	$1,050–$1,900	$68–$130
Chi cost in Bridgeport	$900–$1,650	$58–$112
Chi cost in Burlington	$860–$1,580	$56–$108
Chi cost in Charleston	$820–$1,500	$52–$100
Chi cost in Charlotte	$780–$1,430	$50–$96
Chi cost in Cheyenne	$680–$1,260	$42–$85
Chi cost in Chicago	$920–$1,700	$60–$115
Chi cost in Columbus	$740–$1,360	$47–$92
Chi cost in Denver	$900–$1,650	$58–$110
Chi cost in Des Moines	$700–$1,280	$43–$86
Chi cost in Detroit	$710–$1,300	$44–$88
Chi cost in Fargo	$680–$1,250	$42–$84
Chi cost in Honolulu	$1,250–$2,300	$78–$150
Chi cost in Houston	$800–$1,470	$50–$98
Chi cost in Indianapolis	$730–$1,340	$46–$90
Chi cost in Jackson	$620–$1,150	$38–$76
Chi cost in Jacksonville	$800–$1,470	$50–$96
Chi cost in Kansas City	$720–$1,330	$45–$88
Chi cost in Las Vegas	$820–$1,500	$52–$100
Chi cost in Little Rock	$640–$1,180	$39–$78
Chi cost in Los Angeles	$1,200–$2,150	$75–$145
Chi cost in Louisville	$700–$1,290	$44–$87
Chi cost in Manchester	$860–$1,570	$55–$104
Chi cost in Memphis	$680–$1,260	$42–$84
Chi cost in Milwaukee	$700–$1,290	$44–$87
Chi cost in Minneapolis	$850–$1,560	$54–$104
Chi cost in New Orleans	$780–$1,430	$48–$94
Chi cost in New York	$1,100–$1,950	$70–$135
Chi cost in New York City	$1,120–$1,980	$72–$138
Chi cost in Newark	$960–$1,750	$62–$118
Chi cost in Oklahoma City	$650–$1,220	$40–$80
Chi cost in Omaha	$690–$1,270	$43–$85
Chi cost in Philadelphia	$900–$1,650	$58–$112
Chi cost in Phoenix	$820–$1,500	$52–$100
Chi cost in Portland	$870–$1,590	$56–$108
Chi cost in Providence	$900–$1,650	$58–$110
Chi cost in Salt Lake City	$840–$1,540	$54–$104
Chi cost in San Francisco	$1,300–$2,300	$85–$160
Chi cost in Seattle	$1,050–$1,900	$68–$130
Chi cost in Sioux Falls	$650–$1,220	$40–$80
Chi cost in Virginia Beach	$800–$1,470	$50–$96
Chi cost in Washington DC	$1,020–$1,830	$66–$125
Chi cost in Wichita	$620–$1,150	$38–$76
Chi cost in Wilmington	$800–$1,470	$51–$98

Looking for one city rather than one breed? The cost hub lists every city we have costed, with all breeds on a single page.

Monthly cost of a Chi

A Chi costs $38–$160 a month once the first year is behind you. That covers food, flea and worm preventatives, an insurance premium and routine grooming, spread evenly — it does not cover an emergency, which is what the separate emergency fund on each city page is for.

The monthly figure is the one you actually live with for the next 12–20 years. Food is the line that scales with the dog: a 2–6 lb Chi eats in proportion to bodyweight, so the small size class sets the floor. Preventatives are dosed by weight too, which is why the same tick treatment costs more for a heavier dog. Grooming is low for this breed, and where that means a professional appointment rather than a brush at home, it is the line most likely to surprise a first-time owner.

Insurance is the fourth line, and unlike the others it gets more expensive as the dog ages. Premiums quoted for a puppy are the cheapest they will ever be, so budgeting from the first quote you receive will understate the cost of the later years of a Chi's life.

What drives Chi costs

Three things set what a Chi costs: size, health risk and grooming. Size decides food and drug doses, the breed's documented health risks decide the insurance premium and the odds of a large bill, and the coat decides whether grooming is a brush at home or a booked appointment every few weeks.

Size. The Chi is a small breed at 2–6 lb. Food, flea and worm treatments, anaesthesia and boarding are all priced by weight, so this single fact moves most of the running cost.
Health risk. Chis are documented for Collapsing Trachea, Heart Disease, Patellar Luxation. Insurers price the breed on exactly this list, and it is also where a four-figure bill is most likely to come from.
Grooming. Grooming need is low for a Chi. A coat that needs professional clipping adds a recurring appointment to the monthly figure; one that needs brushing adds a brush.

Full temperament, exercise and health detail lives on the Chi breed page.

Is pet insurance worth it for a Chi?

Pet insurance is worth it for a Chi when a sudden four-figure bill would go on a credit card. That is the whole test. If you could absorb an emergency out of savings, a dedicated fund usually beats premiums; if you could not, insurance converts an unpredictable bill into a predictable monthly one.

Read the exclusions before you read the price. Collapsing Trachea is on the Chi's documented list, and anything a vet has already noted counts as pre-existing and will not be covered — which is why buying early, before the first symptom, is what makes a breed-risk policy work at all.

Take the insurance fit quiz to see whether a policy or a savings buffer suits your situation better.

Budget tools

Two calculators turn the ranges on this page into your number. The cost calculator takes a breed and a city and returns a first-year and monthly estimate for that combination; the comparison tool puts a Chi next to other breeds you are considering, side by side.

Dog cost calculator — first-year and monthly estimate for one breed in one city.
Breed cost comparison — the Chi against the other breeds on your shortlist.

Chi cost: frequently asked questions

How much does a Chi cost?

A Chi costs $620–$2,300 in the first year and $38–$160 a month after that, across the 52 US cities on this page. Those totals cover food, routine veterinary care, preventatives, grooming and insurance. The purchase price is separate and depends on where the dog comes from.

How much is a Chi puppy?

We do not publish a Chi puppy price, because we have not verified one against a source we trust. What is reliable is the direction: a breeder who screens the parents charges more than one who does not, and a rescue charges least. The running costs above are identical either way.

How much does a Chi cost per month?

A Chi costs $38–$160 a month after the first year, depending on the city. That figure covers food, flea and worm preventatives, an insurance premium and routine grooming. It excludes emergencies, which each city page budgets for separately as a recommended emergency fund.

Is a Chi expensive to own?

The Chi is about average to run compared with the other breeds we cost. At 2–6 lb, size sets the food and medication bill, low grooming need sets the appointment cost, and the breed's documented health risks set the insurance premium. Where you live moves the total as much as the breed does.

What is the cheapest way to get a Chi?

Adoption is the cheapest way to get a Chi: shelter and breed-specific rescue fees are well below breeder prices and usually include vaccination, microchipping and neutering already done, which removes several first-year line items. Breed rescues also take surrendered adults, so a specific breed is realistic through them.

The cheapest listing, by contrast, is rarely the cheapest dog. Skipping health screening moves cost from the purchase price into the vet bills, and for a breed with documented risks that is a bad trade.