How much does it cost to own a golden retriever or chocolate lab?

figure at least $1500 for first year if no medical problems.
local shelter
breed rescue
breeder
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800 dollars
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wel i have a golden she cost 5,000 total she cost 3,500 ( purebred ) and well if the dog insnt pure about 1500 to 2000 it should all in genral be

3500 to 4200 in total like if you take her to the vet to get shots too
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MY LIFE

If money is an issue DO NOT get one from a shelter.

Both these breeds have many health issues INCLUDING HIP dysplasia.
Hip surgery costs approximately $3,500 per hip.

Labradors have a high incidence of PRA as well.

Only purchase one of these dogs from a reputanble breeder so you get as healthy a dog as possible.

Remember when you buy a cheap dog you wind up paying thousands upon thousands of dollars later in vet bills.
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It depends on how well you care for it. Give it all it's vaccines, keep it on monthly preventatives for worms, and fleas, de worming meds, bring it to puppy kindergarten, and feed it a high quality, premium food, and you're looking about $1500 a year. Feed it a garbage food, do the training yourself, don't bother with vet care, and it's going to cost about $600 a year. Then factor in possible accidents, or illnesses, and vet bills can go up into the thousands of dollars. The first year is always the most expensive, with the cost of buying crates, toys, leashes, collars, treats, ID like micro chipping or tags, initial licensing fees, spay/neuter, etc,…. The costs add up QUICK.

You can adopt your dog. You can find local shelters at petfinder.com. Or you can find a GOOD breeder of purebreds (good breeders don't create mutts), pay a high intital fee, but then be almost 100% that your dog will NOT have a genetic defect that will costs $10,000 to correct. If you adopt, or buy a puppy mill pup from a pet store, or go to a back yard breeder, you're dog will likely face a major medical at some point in their lifetimes. It's a risk you take.
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"Both these breeds have many health issues INCLUDING HIP dysplasia." True about the hip dysplasia, but they are pretty healthy breeds otherwise (want a breed with health issues? try a poodle or a bulldog).

"Hip surgery costs approximately $3,500 per hip."
Yeah, if you do a total hip replacement, which almost no one does. If they do have hip dysplasia, most get by pretty good with pain medication and special diets.

"Only purchase one of these dogs from a reputable breeder so you get as healthy a dog as possible. Remember when you buy a cheap dog you wind up paying thousands upon thousands of dollars later in vet bills."
Seriously? Most dogs from a shelter are no less healthy than an "expensive" dog. In fact, if you adopt a mixed breed dog, they are likely to be HEALTHIER than even an expensive purebreed because they are less likely to have genetic defects. Plus you can get an older dog that is already housetrained and is likely out of the bad chewing and biting phase. Besides, getting them from a shelter is an awesome thing to do-do you know how many millions of dogs are put to sleep every year, largely because of stuck up people like the above poster who insist that only $1000 purebred dogs are any good.

To answer the question, though (and these are VERY approximate and widely vary by where you live and what you buy):
Food: $40/month for decent quality stuff (not Alpo, but not the super-expensive stuff, either)
Frontline + Heartgard: $20/month
Toys: depends on how much you want to spoil it
Basic vet checkup and vaccination: $100 (more or less, depending on whether you need a fecal exam or heartworm test, which vaccines are needed, etc.); ideally you'll go to the vet twice a year
Unexpected vet costs: who knows? anything from nothing to thousands of dollars; for example, if your dog has a bout of vomiting or diarrhea, you're looking at probably at least $300 for exams, tests, and medications; if they need surgery for something, at least $500
Also think about other costs, like pet fees if you rent where you live, licensing fees, boarding costs if you ever travel, cost of dog beds, dog gates to keep it in/out of certain areas of your house, and the cost of anything that the dog might destroy.
Think long and hard about getting a pet-they are great but they are a big commitment both financially and with your time and money.
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4th year vet student