Vet costs: Salt Lake City, UT vs Denver, CO
Published vet prices in Salt Lake City and Denver side by side, with the US median for reference.
Last updated: October 2026 · 6 sources · see sources
Side by side
| Salt Lake City | Denver | US median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vet exam / office visit (fee only) | $75 (3 practices) [1] | $81 (14 practices) [2] | $75 (591 practices) [3] |
| Core vaccine, per shot | $34 (5 practices) [1] | $41 (12 practices) [2] | $38 (608 practices) [3] |
| Dental cleaning (base price) | Not enough published Salt Lake City or UT prices | $449 (7 practices) [2] | $466 (213 practices) [3] |
| Spay or neuter | Not enough published Salt Lake City or UT prices | $325 (5 practices) [2] | $340 (190 practices) [3] |
| Microchip | $45 (UT statewide, 5 practices; too few Salt Lake City listings) [1] | $54 (3 practices) [2] | $52 (120 practices) [3] |
| Emergency exam fee (before treatment) | ~$126 estimate: $125 × 100.9/100 [3][4] | ~$132 estimate: $125 × 105.8/100 [3][5] | $125 (26 practices) [3] |
| Typical total emergency bill | ~$815 estimate: $808 × 100.9/100 [6][4] | ~$855 estimate: $808 × 105.8/100 [6][5] | $808 median of 400+ owner invoices [6] |
Values marked ~ are estimates: the US median adjusted for local prices. Practice counts show how many clinics published a price.
How to read this
A median is the middle price, so half of the clinics charge less and half charge more. With only a handful of clinics, one expensive practice can move the number, so treat small samples as a rough guide.
For the full breakdown, see vet costs in Salt Lake City and Denver.
Common questions
Are vets more expensive in Salt Lake City or Denver?
Overall prices are higher in Denver than in Salt Lake City: the BEA's regional price parity is 105.8 there versus 100.9, where 100 is the US average. The biggest gap in published vet prices is for microchip: $54 in Denver versus $45 in Salt Lake City. Prices still vary a lot from one clinic to the next.
Where do these prices come from?
Local medians come from prices vet practices publish, collected by PawsRx. When a city doesn't have enough published prices, we estimate from the US median adjusted by the BEA's regional price parity, and we label it as an estimate.
How can I save on vet bills in Salt Lake City or Denver?
Call two or three clinics and ask for the same itemized quote, look at low-cost vaccine and spay clinics, and keep up with preventive care so small problems don't become emergencies.
Related
Sources (6) — tap to show
- PawsRx – Vet costs in Utah: published practice prices (Oct 2026)
- PawsRx – Vet costs in Colorado: published practice prices (Oct 2026)
- PawsRx – Vet prices published by 1,009 US practices (Oct 2026)
- U.S. BEA via FRED – Regional Price Parities: All Items, Salt Lake City MSA (2024)
- U.S. BEA via FRED – Regional Price Parities: All Items, Denver-Aurora-Centennial MSA (2024)
- VetReceipt – Vet care cost by category (2026)