What a praying mantis really costs

A Chinese mantis costs about $10–$20, but overnight live-animal shipping often costs more than the insect, so expect about $19–$60 delivered. A mesh cage, spray bottle and gauge add roughly $20–$90, and live fruit flies and crickets every couple of days run about $60 over its life. Because it lives less than a year, its whole lifetime costs about the same as one year: roughly $130–$150 for a typical owner.

Life expectancy: 0.5–1 years
Size: 3–5 in long as an adult (females larger)
Care level: Moderate
Price: $19–$60
Setup: About $40
Insurance: Not offered

Estimate for: One captive-bred Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis) bought online as a 3rd–4th instar nymph, kept alone at room temperature in a mesh cage and raised to adulthood on fruit flies and crickets. Space needed: Ventilated mesh cage at least 8×8×12 in (about 3× the mantis's length in height), with twigs to hang from when molting.

Where the money goes each year

A typical year for a praying mantis, with typical spending in an average-cost area.

Live food (fruit flies, then crickets)$64
Typical year$60

Most years land between $30 and $120. Items replaced on a cycle are spread across the years.

Setup and the first year

For praying mantises, the equipment usually costs far more than the animal.

Getting set up

Price (captive-bred nymph, online dealer (including live shipping))$40
Mesh insect cage (about 12×12×12 in)$23
Spray bottle for misting$5
Digital thermometer and humidity gauge$13
Upfront$80

Running costs in year one

Live food (fruit flies, then crickets)$64
Year-one running costs$60

First-year total: $140.

Make it your estimate

Change the choices that move the price most. Totals update as you go.

Your lifetime estimate$100 First year $140Then about $60 a yearOver 1 years

$5 a month in a typical year.

Live food (fruit flies, then crickets)$64
Typical year$60

What to buy

The gear and supplies in this estimate, matched to a praying mantis. Each link searches Amazon for the right type and size.

Mesh insect cage (about 12×12×12 in)Setup, typically about $23
See on Amazon
Spray bottle for mistingSetup, typically about $5
See on Amazon
Digital thermometer and humidity gaugeSetup, typically about $13
See on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate, PetPriceTag earns from qualifying purchases. Buying through these links costs you nothing extra and never changes our cost figures.

Health costs to plan for

Condition	What it is	Typical treatment	Cost
Failed or stuck molt	Josh's Frogs says molting issues are the most common cause of death in captive Chinese mantises. A mantis stops eating a day or two before a molt and hangs upside down to shed, so a cage that is too short or too dry, or live crickets left in with it, can kill it. Source	Prevention: enough cage height, daily misting, and removing uneaten prey before a molt. Vets can do little; an exotic consultation is about $118 (The Gentle Vets)	$0–$118
Injury from live prey during a molt	Josh's Frogs warns that a molting mantis is vulnerable to being jostled or eaten by prey such as crickets, and says to remove uneaten prey when a molt is near. Source	No treatment; prevent it by removing crickets from the cage before and right after a molt	$0
Dehydration	Dubia.com says mantises get most of their water from prey and from misting the cage walls a few times a week; Josh's Frogs recommends 60–65% humidity with light daily misting. Source	Mist more often (a $4.99 spray bottle)	$0–$5

The yearly estimate includes an average of $0 for illness and injury. No mainstream US insurer covers insects. Nationwide's exotic plan lists birds, rabbits, mini pigs and goats, lizards/reptiles/frogs, guinea pigs, and ferrets and small mammals, and says any species not listed is ineligible.

What drives the cost

The lifetime is short and fixed: Josh's Frogs says Chinese mantises live about 6–9 months as adults in captivity, Dubia.com says 8–12 months in total, and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station says temperate mantids live one growing season and die of old age before spring even when brought indoors. Keeping one every year means paying the purchase, shipping and feeder costs again each year.
Shipping can cost more than the mantis: Josh's Frogs sells a Chinese mantis nymph for $19.99 but ships live animals overnight for $39.99, while Dubia.com lists one at $9.99 with $8.95 flat shipping.
An egg case is cheaper but is not one pet: Bugs in Cyberspace lists Chinese mantis egg cases at $8 with 100–300 nymphs per case, and Josh's Frogs says the nymphs must be housed one per cup and fed within 24 hours of hatching or they eat each other.
A mesh insect cage is the right enclosure; a big glass terrarium is not needed. Josh's Frogs says about 3× the mantis's length in height and warns that too much space makes it hard for the mantis to find prey.
No heater: Josh's Frogs says room temperature in the 70s °F suits Chinese mantises and that high temperatures may shorten their life, so electricity is $0. Light daily misting from a spray bottle keeps humidity around 60–65%.

Is it legal where you live?

No federal permit rule specific to mantises could be confirmed; USDA APHIS says many invertebrates are illegal to own and that its PPQ 526 permit covers importing and moving them between states, and advises contacting it before buying one. Florida restricts the Chinese mantis and orchid mantis to institutions such as zoos and museums, and prohibits releasing non-native mantises. California's permit exemption list includes the Chinese, Carolina and European mantids. Never release a pet mantis outdoors.

Restricted or banned in: Florida.

Cities and counties can have their own rules. Check locally before you buy.

Captive-bred nymph, online dealer (including live shipping): $19–$60
Lifetime: $100

How this estimate is built

Every line, with the typical, thrifty and generous figures and where each comes from.

Item	Typical	Range	Basis and sources
Setup
Mesh insect cage (about 12×12×12 in)	$23	$12–$70	Dubia.com: at least 8×8×12 in with branches; Josh's Frogs: about 3× the mantis's length in height. Low: a 32 oz deli-cup mantis habitat kit from $12 at US Mantis (fine for a nymph, small for an adult female). Typical: 12×12×12 in mesh insect and butterfly habitat $22.99 at US Mantis (pop-up cages there run $14–$24). High: Zoo Med ReptiBreeze aluminum screen cage 16×16×20 in, $69.99 at That Pet Place. US Mantis: Cages, habitats and bug boxes (12×12×12 in habitat $22.99; deli-cup kit from $12); That Pet Place: Zoo Med ReptiBreeze screen cage 16×16×20 in ($69.99); Dubia.com: Chinese Praying Mantis (minimum enclosure 8×8×12 in)
Spray bottle for misting	$5	$5–$5	Josh's Frogs advises light daily misting; a 16 oz spray bottle is $4.99 at Josh's Frogs (priced in its hissing cockroach kit). Josh's Frogs: Pet Hissing Cockroach Kit (16 oz spray bottle $4.99); Josh's Frogs: Chinese Mantis care guide (misting)
Digital thermometer and humidity gauge	$13	$0–$16	Josh's Frogs suggests monitoring with a digital thermometer and hygrometer. Zoo Med Digital Combo gauge $12.99 at Chewy; OASE digital thermometer $15.99 at Dubia.com. Low: a budget owner skips it and relies on room temperature. Chewy: Zoo Med Digital Combo Thermometer Humidity Gauge ($12.99); Dubia.com: Thermostats and thermometers (OASE digital thermometer $15.99)
Every year
Live food (fruit flies, then crickets)	$64	$30–$120	Josh's Frogs: feed every two days, prey no longer than a third of the mantis; Drosophila hydei fruit flies for early instars, then flies or crickets. PetSmart: flightless fruit fly culture $8.99, crickets 14–17¢ each. Typical: ThePricer's worked example of $8 a month for eight months ($64). Low: two fruit fly cultures ($18) plus about 80 crickets at 15¢ ($12), about $30. High: ThePricer's upper $20 a month for about six months. A mantis lives under a year, so this is close to its lifetime food bill. Josh's Frogs: Chinese Mantis care guide (feeding); PetSmart: Reptile food (crickets 14–17¢ each, flightless fruit flies $8.99); ThePricer: How Much Does a Praying Mantis Cost? (feeding $5–$20 a month)
Illness and injury, per year
Unexpected costs (rare exotic-vet visit)	$0	$0–$118	LOW CONFIDENCE: no data on mantis health spending exist. Josh's Frogs names molting problems as the most common cause of death in captivity, and those are prevented with cage height and humidity rather than treated. Few vets see insects, and for a $10–$20 animal with a life of under a year most owners pay nothing. High: one exotic consultation at The Gentle Vets (Green Bay, WI), $118.39. Josh's Frogs: Chinese Mantis care guide (molting); The Gentle Vets (Green Bay, WI): Exotics pricing (consultation $118.39)

More insects and invertebrates by yearly cost

Common questions

How much does a praying mantis cost?

Captive-bred nymph, online dealer (including live shipping): $19–$60. The bigger costs come after: about $40 to set up, about $140 for the whole first year, then about $60 a year.

How much does a praying mantis cost per year?

About $60 a year ($5 a month) for a typical owner in an average-cost area, ranging from about $30 for a thrifty owner in a lower-cost area to $120 for a generous owner in a big city.

How much does a praying mantis cost over its lifetime?

About $100 over a 1-year life, in 2026 dollars.

Sources

Estimates in 2026 US dollars. Vet prices for this pet use the same region adjustment as the rest of the site (methodology). Updated October 14, 2026.