How much does a pet sitter cost per night?

In the Denver and Boulder area, an overnight pet sitter usually costs about $35 to $60 a night through a pet sitting app, about $70 to $110 a night when you hire a sitter directly, and about $120 to $150 or more a night with an established professional pet sitting business. The price climbs with extra pets, medications, holidays and last-minute bookings. Hope’s Loving Pet Care charges $120 a night for one dog, and new clients pay $100 a night for their first stay.

Those numbers are for an overnight, where the sitter sleeps at your home. Short drop-in visits and walks are priced per visit, not per night. If you want a number for your own pets and dates, the house sitting cost calculator gives an estimate in about a minute.

Typical overnight rates near Denver

Prices vary a lot depending on who you book and how. These are the ranges published by local sources as of fall 2026.

• App and marketplace sitters: about $35 to $60 a night. A 2026 Denver pet sitting rate guide puts app-listed overnight dog sitting in the metro area in this range.
• Independent sitters you hire directly: about $70 to $110 a night. The same guide uses this as its planning range for overnight in-home care booked directly with a sitter.
• Established professional businesses: about $120 to $150 or more a night. One Denver company’s published rate card lists overnight pet sitting at $150 a night, plus $15 for each extra pet and a $40 fee for overnights on holidays.

So when two quotes for “an overnight” are $50 apart, they are often not quoting the same thing. The rest of this guide explains why.

What changes the price of a night

Most sitters start with a base rate for one pet and adjust from there. These are the things that move it.

• Number of pets. Extra dogs and cats usually add a per-pet fee to every night.
• Medical and special needs. Medication schedules, a diabetic pet’s meal timing, or a blind dog who needs a steady routine take more time and more care.
• Holidays and school breaks. Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break and summer weekends often carry a holiday fee, and sitters book up early.
• Short notice. Some sitters add a fee for same-day or next-day requests.
• What’s included. How many walks, whether the evening and morning are covered, and whether house tasks like mail, plants and trash are part of the night.
• Distance. A sitter who lives nearby can often keep the rate simpler than one driving across the metro.

Why app rates and independent rates are so different

An app rate is set by each individual sitter listed on the platform, and the app takes a service fee. The person who shows up can change from one trip to the next. A professional sitter’s rate usually covers more: insurance, a meeting before the first booking, a written routine for your pets, and an owner who answers for every night.

Neither is wrong. A young, healthy dog with an easy routine may do fine with a lower-cost sitter. A senior dog, a diabetic cat or a pet that hides from strangers is where the extra cost is really paying for the responsibility, not just the hours.

What Hope charges for an overnight

Hope’s overnight rate is $120 a night for one dog. New clients get $20 off every night of their first stay, so $100 a night. That sits below the published rates of many established Denver pet sitting businesses, with the same things included on every night:

• Hope or one of the sitters she trained sleeps at your home, with your pets on their usual evening and morning routine.
• At least one text and photo every day. First-time clients get a morning and an evening update.
• Mail and packages brought in, plants watered, lights on and off, trash out.
• A photo walkthrough when your sitter arrives and leaves, and the spaces they used cleaned before you get home.

For more pets, cats, add-ons like fish or birds, and drop-in visits or walks, use the house sitting cost calculator or the pet care cost calculator. Hope confirms your exact rate at the free walkthrough, before you book anything. You can also see every service on the services page.

How to compare pet sitter quotes fairly

Before you pick the lowest number, ask each sitter the same questions. The Pet Professional Guild’s client checklist is a good starting point. For price, these matter most:

1. Is the rate per night, and what time does the night start and end?
2. How much is each extra pet?
3. Are there holiday, short-notice or medication fees?
4. How many walks or play sessions are included?
5. How often will you send updates, and will they include photos?
6. Are you insured, and will we meet before the first booking?

Add up the full stay, fees included, for each quote. That total is what you’re really comparing. More answers to common questions are on the FAQ page, and the rest of Hope’s pet care guides cover hiring, special-needs pets and planning for a trip.

Market rates were checked in October 2026 from the sources linked above. They change, so treat them as a guide, not a quote.